(155,1,'2010-07-06 15:49:45','2010-07-06 15:49:45','<p>The first item on my randomly-ordered <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/my-life-list.html\" target=\"_blank\">life list</a> just happens to be &quot;learn to speak German.&quot; This shouldn&#39;t surprise you if you know anything at all about me and my family -- after all, we go to Austria <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2008/08/edelweissedelweiss.html\" target=\"_blank\">almost yearly</a> since we have strong family connections to the place. </p>\n\n<p>Also? It&#39;s a beautiful country, decadent and imperial and that&#39;s the way things have always been. People dress up every day. It&#39;s my kind of place.</p>\n<div style=\"width: 600px; font: 0.7em &#39;Trebuchet MS&#39;,sans-serif;\"><object classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0\" height=\"450\" width=\"600\"><param name=\"FlashVars\" value=\"galleryid=8709905705_HZxfS\" /><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" /><param name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\" /><param name=\"wmode\" value=\"transparent\" /><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.picnik.com/slide/slide.swf\" /><embed allowscriptaccess=\"always\" flashvars=\"galleryid=8709905705_HZxfS\" height=\"450\" src=\"http://www.picnik.com/slide/slide.swf\" width=\"600\" wmode=\"transparent\" /></object><div style=\"float: left;\"><a href=\"http://www.picnik.com/show/id/8709905705_HZxfS/t/\">&quot;<strong></strong>&quot;</a></div><div style=\"float: right;\"><p><a href=\"http://www.picnik.com\" target=\"_blank\">Create a free slideshow with Picnik!</a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.picnik.com\" target=\"_blank\"><br /></a></p></div></div><p></p><p>Of course, the delicious pastries and coffee don&#39;t hurt.</p><p>\n<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f2190ab2970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"DSC_0219\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f2190ab2970b \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f2190ab2970b-500wi.jpg\" /></a>&#0160;</p><p>I&#39;m also ashamed to admit that my husband speaks five languages, so I kind of owe him since he speaks my native language (Spanish) as well as English. </p><p>Long story short: I need to learn German. I want to learn German. And now, I&#39;m going to learn German.</p><p>I&#39;ve explained my theory on life lists <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2010/06/fait-accompli-my-life-list.html\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>, so please don&#39;t take what I&#39;m about to say the wrong way.&#0160; I don&#39;t think there&#39;s anything particularly magical about writing down your life list. However, no sooner had I written my life list (but had yet to post it online) that I received a message from Rosetta Stone asking me if I&#39;d like to try out their new <a href=\"http://www.rosettastone.com/learn-german/totale\" target=\"_blank\">TOTALe</a> language course for three months. </p><p>Um, would I? YES PLEASE. </p><p>A few days later, my course kit arrived:</p><p>\n<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f2191699970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"DSC_0081\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f2191699970b \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f2191699970b-500wi.jpg\" /></a> </p><p>It&#39;s set up so you do most of the work online, (perfect for someone who&#39;s constantly on the internet *ahem*) and it looks like you can schedule time to actually (or rather, virtually) spend time in a classroom with an instructor and other students. How cool is that?</p><p>I&#39;d like to thank <a href=\"http://www.rosettastone.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Rosetta Stone </a>for the opportunity to cross one more thing off my life list.</p><p>I&#39;ll keep you posted on my learning adventure. For now, I have some homework to do!</p><p>As Heidi Klum would say (I think): <em>Auf Wiedersehen, meine leiben!</em></p><p><em><span style=\"color: #8b8b8b;\"><span style=\"color: #8b8b8b;\">I don&#39;t work for Rosetta Stone. I received a complimentary three-month subscription to Rosetta Stone TOTALe under<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/a-note-to-pr-professionals.html\" target=\"_blank\"> these terms</a>. I am under no obligation to post about my experience. (But honestly, how could I not?)</span></span></em> <br /> </p>\n','Life List Update: Learning German','\n','publish','open','open','','life-list-update-learning-german','','','2010-07-06 15:49:45','2010-07-06 15:49:45','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=155',0,'post','',2),(156,1,'2010-07-05 18:07:47','2010-07-05 18:07:47','<p>At least I do. </p><p>Remember this guy?</p><p>\n<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f213d37c970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"DSC_0091\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f213d37c970b \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f213d37c970b-500wi.jpg\" /></a> <br /> </p><p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2008/07/rainy-day-parade.html\" target=\"_blank\">I think you do.</a></p><p>Hilariously he posed for me, and then turned around and asked me, &quot;did you get a good one?&quot; I heard he&#39;s been doing this for decades.</p><p>In any case, I hope you had a wonderful Independence day. Here&#39;s a little more of our town&#39;s little parade for you:</p><p>\n<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef013485394de2970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"DSC_0089\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef013485394de2970c \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef013485394de2970c-500wi.jpg\" /></a> </p><p>\n<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef013485394e8f970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"DSC_0088\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef013485394e8f970c \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef013485394e8f970c-500wi.jpg\" /></a> </p><p>\n<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f213d554970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"DSC_0093\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f213d554970b \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f213d554970b-500wi.jpg\" /></a> </p><p>\n<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f213d616970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"DSC_0085\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f213d616970b \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f213d616970b-500wi.jpg\" /></a> <br />  </p>\n','Everybody Loves a Parade','\n','publish','open','open','','everybody-loves-a-parade','','','2010-07-05 18:07:47','2010-07-05 18:07:47','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=156',0,'post','',0),(157,1,'2010-06-30 10:07:10','2010-06-30 10:07:10','<p><a href=\"http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1842319/everyday-treats?claim=mryq6f6up3e\">Follow my blog with bloglovin</a>\n\n\n<a href=\"http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/1842319/everyday-treats/follow\" title=\"Everyday Treats on Bloglovin\"><img alt=\"bloglovin\" border=\"0\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/widget_watkins.gif\" /></a></p><p></p><p>Anyone familiar with Bloglovin?<br />\n</p><p></p>\n\n<p></p>\n','Trying out a new toy...','\n','publish','open','open','','trying-out-a-new-toy','','','2010-06-30 10:07:10','2010-06-30 10:07:10','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=157',0,'post','',0),(158,1,'2010-06-29 15:43:27','2010-06-29 15:43:27','<p>Remember that post about the <a href=\"http://www.blogher.com/outgrowing-bikini\" target=\"_blank\">$350 perfect swimsuit</a>? (The Bill, by Norma Kamali.)</p><a href=\"http://www.normakamalicollection.com/Shared/HTML/PROMOTBYB.html?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Emailmarketingsoftware&amp;utm_content=1096189423&amp;utm_campaign=98BILL6-29-10\" target=\"_blank\">It&#39;s on sale RIGHT NOW. FOR $98!!!</a><p>GO!</p><p>\n<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01348518094f970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"HEADER5\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01348518094f970c \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01348518094f970c-500wi.jpg\" /></a>&#0160;</p><p>My size is sold out, or I&#39;d get another one. GO!<br /> </p>\n','GO. SHOP. NOW.','\n','publish','open','open','','go-shop-now','','','2010-06-29 15:43:27','2010-06-29 15:43:27','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=158',0,'post','',0),(159,1,'2010-06-26 19:52:55','2010-06-26 19:52:55','<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><div style=\"text-align: center;\">&#0160;\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">\n<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f1df5a5b970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"20100514-Dolly-Parton-4-600x411\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f1df5a5b970b \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f1df5a5b970b-500wi.jpg\" /></a></span></div><p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"> </span></p><blockquote><p style=\"text-align: left;\"><em>I&#39;m not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I&#39;m not\ndumb... and I also know that I&#39;m not blonde.</em></p>\n\n</blockquote><div style=\"text-align: right;\"><p>-Dolly Parton</p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">I love Dolly Parton. LOOOVE her! I&#39;m as far away from her as you can get as far as personal style, religion, music, looks, etc... but who can resist an honest original (and beauty) that also happens to possess a biting wit?</p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">The answer, of course, is no one. </p><div style=\"text-align: left;\"><blockquote><a href=\"http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-1241358/Dolly-Parton-hanging-youth-I-like-cartoon-character-dont-old.html\" xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml\"><em>I am kinda like a little cartoon character, and cartoon characters don’t\nget old. I am animated and over-exaggerated and I will never change. I\nwill probably just be a silly little 85-year-old looking exactly as I do\nnow. People will look at me and ask each other, “How old is she?” “I\ndon’t know: she has looked that way for 100 years”</em></a></blockquote></div><blockquote>\n\n</blockquote></div><p style=\"text-align: left;\"></p></div><p></p><div style=\"text-align: right;\"><p>-Dolly Parton</p><p style=\"text-align: left;\"></p></div>\n','\"It takes a lot of money to look this cheap\"','\n','publish','open','open','','im-not-offended-by-all-the-dumb-blond-jokes-because-i-know-im-not-dumb-and-i-also-know-that-im-not-blond-dolly-par','','','2010-06-26 19:52:55','2010-06-26 19:52:55','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=159',0,'post','',4),(160,1,'2010-06-24 15:08:12','2010-06-24 15:08:12','<p>There are days, not unlike today, that are simply best captured by a New Yorker cartoon:</p>\n\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"></span><div style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01348651ef27970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f1bc5ca1970b-pi.jpg\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01348651ef27970c \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01348651ef27970c-500wi.jpg\" title=\"6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f1bc5ca1970b-pi.jpg\" /></a> <br /></div><p> </p><p></p>\n\n<p><em>(Sent to me by a friend -- it was sent to her by her dad.)</em></p><p>\n\nThis is not a complaint. I remember sitting in my office and plotting my escape. A lot of the time not having a full-time job is downright GLORIOUS. </p><p>But I&#39;d be lying if I didn&#39;t admit that having a third child doesn&#39;t have me plotting what my next step will be. I&#39;m itching to get back to work. All I know is what I don&#39;t want to do.</p>\n','I\'d Rather Be Working','\n','publish','open','open','','idratherbeworking','','','2010-06-24 15:08:12','2010-06-24 15:08:12','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=160',0,'post','',0),(161,1,'2010-06-24 14:25:03','2010-06-24 14:25:03','<p>I tend to panic when thinking about the big things. This is why I focus on the details. </p><p></p>\n','Beauty is in the details','\n','draft','open','open','','beauty-is-in-the-details','','','2010-06-24 14:25:03','2010-06-24 14:25:03','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=161',0,'post','',0),(162,1,'2010-06-23 10:44:07','2010-06-23 10:44:07','<p>The truth is, shopping can&#39;t always be about buying <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2010/06/the-bloggable-closet-a-shot-of-color.html\" target=\"_blank\">wildly adorable dresses</a>, just as life isn&#39;t always about playing dress up. Sometimes you just have to buy those basic pieces that get worn out from so much use. </p><p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01348293d7ca970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"DSC_0101\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01348293d7ca970c \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01348293d7ca970c-500wi.jpg\" /></a></p><p><a></a><a href=\"http://www.kische.com.tr/\" target=\"_blank\">Tank by Kische Istanbul</a></p><p></p> <p></p><p>\n<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01348293dd3a970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"DSC_0102\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01348293dd3a970c \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01348293dd3a970c-500wi.jpg\" /></a></p><p><em><a href=\"http://www.shopbop.com/icon-muse-high-waist-bootcut/vp/v=1/845524441870423.htm?folderID=2534374302023775&amp;extid=froogle-JOESJ20302\" target=\"_blank\">Joe&#39;s Jeans The Icon Muse High Waist</a></em> (paid $59.99!)<br /> </p><p>\n<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01348293e43b970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"DSC_0103\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01348293e43b970c \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01348293e43b970c-500wi.jpg\" /></a>&#0160;</p><p><em>Plain t shirts, $9 each</em> - soft and cheap!<br /> </p>\n','The Bloggable Closet: Stocking Up on The Basics','\n','publish','open','open','','the-bloggable-closet-stocking-up-on-the-basics','','','2010-06-23 10:44:07','2010-06-23 10:44:07','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=162',0,'post','',1),(163,1,'2010-06-22 17:40:45','2010-06-22 17:40:45','<p>I know this is old, but some days you just need a Sassy Gay Friend:<em><br /></em></p>\n\n<p><em><object height=\"385\" width=\"640\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/jnvgq8STMGM&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;rel=0\" /><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" /><param name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\" /><embed allowfullscreen=\"true\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" height=\"385\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/jnvgq8STMGM&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;rel=0\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"640\" /></object></em></p><p><em>&quot;PS! This is the best your hair has ever looked. Oh my God, I can’t\nbelieve you were going to get it wet!&quot; </em></p><p>Alright. If you say so :)</p>\n','Sassy Gay Friend: Ophelia','\n','publish','open','open','','sassy-gay-friend-ophelia','','','2010-06-22 17:40:45','2010-06-22 17:40:45','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=163',0,'post','',0),(164,1,'2010-06-21 17:12:18','2010-06-21 17:12:18','<p>I was talking with my girlfriend the other day and I was complaining about the fact that I never get to go to the movies to watch so-called chick flicks. Date night is fraught with so much negotiation -- after hiring a sitter, getting all dressed up and actually leaving the house with my husband (never mind the outrageous cost of a sitter) we feel like we have to make the most of the night, so we rarely go to the movies and when we do we watch something that we both agree on. So I&#39;m pathetically behind on silly, bubbly and girlishly entertaining movies. </p><p>I was craving a romantic comedy something fierce, you guys.</p>\n\n<p>&quot;What we need,&quot; I said, &quot;is for someone to host a movie night at home.&quot;</p>\n\n<p>Little did I know that &quot;someone&quot; would turn out to be me.</p>\n\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4722074490/\" title=\"DSC_0128 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0128\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4722074490_f60eb0037b.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></div>\n\n<p>Not a week had passed when I got an email from <a href=\"http://www.nintendo.com/wii\">Nintendo</a> asking if I&#39;d like to host a small get together at my house to celebrate their <a href=\"http://www.nintendo.com/wii/netflix\">new partnership with Netflix</a>.&#0160;</p>\n\n<p>BINGO!</p>\n\n<p>I said sure, as long as it could be a Girl&#39;s Night In! It would be perfect: The husbands could stay home with the kids, and my girlfriends would come over for a casual evening of food, cocktails and conversation.&#0160; </p>\n\n<p>The girly movies and Wii games wouldn&#39;t hurt, either.</p>\n\n<p>(How can you not love it?)</p>\n\n<p>The beauty of throwing a Girl&#39;s Night In is that it&#39;s a casual and comfortable evening by design -- feeding your girlfriends, serving them booze and letting them enjoy a night off from family responsibilities so that everyone can catch up is pretty much the best excuse for a party I can think of.</p>\n\n<p>How did I do it?</p>\n\n<p></p>\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4722116572/\" style=\"float: right;\" title=\"DSC_0106 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0106\" height=\"240\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4722116572_46b3fb3b94_m.jpg\" style=\"margin: 0pt 0pt 5px 5px;\" title=\"DSC_0106\" width=\"240\" /></a>\n<p></p>\n\n<p>First, I pushed the coffee table aside (you need room to play the Wii) and set up a little shrine to\nthe most classic of chick flicks -- Breakfast at Tiffany&#39;s -- on top of\nthe boys&#39; train table. </p>\n\n<p>(Apologies to Thomas and friends, who were\nunceremoniously dumped in the basement.)</p>\n\n<p>My Breakfast at Tiffany&#39;s poster was in Italian, so I asked Nintendo to order food from the local Italian joint. It was delicious and easy -- a &quot;mess&quot; of pasta, salad, garlic bread. </p><p>Since all I had to do to feed 10 people was open the door for the delivery man, I made some mini-bundt cakes for dessert. But I forgot to take pictures of them.</p>\n\n<p>Then it was time to lay out the snacks. Nintendo provided us with movie candy and popcorn, a great and inexpensive way to reinforce the Movie Night theme -- my grocery store had boxes of Raisinets and Dots on sale for a $1.00. I&#39;m going to try to remember to stop by the grocery store before I pay almost $4.00 for a box of Raisinets at the movies. Never again!</p>\n\n<p></p>\n\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4721416293/\" title=\"DSC_0105 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0105\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4721416293_e010b2b37e.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">Now, woman does not live on Junior Mints and bread alone, so a drinks table was necessary:</p><p style=\"text-align: left;\"></p></div><div style=\"text-align: center;\"><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4721552251/\" title=\"DSC_0103 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0103\" height=\"318\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4721552251_954d0eaa22.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">To keep with the Italian theme I had San Pellegrino and Prossecco at the ready, as well as white and red wine. But it turns out they weren&#39;t necessary, because everyone loves a stiff cocktail. I made a couple of pitchers of Cape Codders since we live in New England, and it <em>is</em> summer, so it felt appropriate. </p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">Also, vodka.</p></div><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4721421897/\" title=\"DSC_0122 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0122\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4721421897_b36b964012.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">When it came time to choose the movie, I was sad to see that Breakfast at Tiffany&#39;s wasn&#39;t available for streaming on the Wii. Yet. So I chose Amelie, because I thought it would make a great background movie -- what with the Parisian whimsy and the accordion music and the general <em>je ne sais quoi</em> that French movies have. </p><p style=\"text-align: left;\"></p>\n\n<p></p><object height=\"385\" width=\"480\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/sECzJY07oK4&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;\" /><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" /><param name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\" /><embed allowfullscreen=\"true\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" height=\"385\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/sECzJY07oK4&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"480\" /></object><p>I had to laugh when one of my friends said, &quot;Amelie? But it has subtitles!&quot;</p>\n\n<p>Exactly. I wanted everyone to eat and mingle. And that&#39;s exactly what they did.</p>\n\n<p></p>\n\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">&#0160;<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4721627459/\" title=\"DSC_0112 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0112\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4721627459_36094a86cd_m.jpg\" style=\"width: 177px; height: 177px;\" /></a> <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4722126386/\" title=\"DSC_0113 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0113\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4722126386_5798f3a504_m.jpg\" style=\"width: 268px; height: 180px;\" /></a>&#0160; <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4721492141/\" title=\"DSC_0114 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0114\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4721492141_3c0777dbdf_m.jpg\" style=\"width: 272px; height: 182px;\" title=\"DSC_0114\" /></a> <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4722259488/\" title=\"DSC_0111 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0111\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4722259488_f8cecc4048_m.jpg\" style=\"width: 181px; height: 181px;\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>You know what happens when you get bloggers in a room with people that don&#39;t blog? The talk turns to Twitter. That last photo is <a href=\"http://twitter.com/chickybaby\">Tania</a> of <a href=\"http://chickychickybaby.blogspot.com/\">Chicky Chicky Baby</a>, explaining Twitter to some of my non-blogging friends. It&#39;s a hard thing to explain, really, and she did a great job. I kept my mouth shut, because how do you explain it? Instead I kept refilling Cape Codders for people. </p>\n\n<p>Eventually we did get down to playing games -- we tried out the Wii Fit, and after one of my friends scored an amazing SIX YEARS YOUNGER on her fitness test even after consuming a couple of Cape Codders, I was forced to reveal that my sober Wii Fit age is an embarrassing 52 years old.&#0160;</p>\n\n<p>\n<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef013484b20f35970c-pi.jpg\"><img alt=\"IMG_0685\" border=\"0\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef013484b20f35970c \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef013484b20f35970c-500pi.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; display: block;\" title=\"IMG_0685\" /></a> <br /> </p>\n\n<p>FIFTY TWO. I wish I was kidding.</p>\n\n<p>I am thirty three years old people! I swear that&#39;s what it says on my birth certificate, but the Wii? It is mean to me. So eventually I stopped playing Tetris and Marching Band and ultimate Hula Hoop, and I let the other girls play.</p>\n\n<p>They are better at it than I am, by far.</p>\n\n<p></p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4722071346/\" title=\"DSC_0110 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0110\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4722071346_d3589b2f52.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p><em>(<a href=\"http://twitter.com/ladybugs_12\">Erin</a> of <a href=\"http://ladybugs-12.blogspot.com/\">Ladybug&#39;s Picnic</a> kicks it up a notch! If only we had a Jazzercise game!)</em></p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">We did eventually settle on a movie, Notting Hill, and the conversation went to <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2006/08/i-see-famous-people-british-invasion.html\">Hugh Grant</a>&#39;s gigantic head and Julia Robert&#39;s enduring gorgeousness. </p><p style=\"text-align: left;\"></p></div>\n<p></p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4721423757/\" title=\"DSC_0115 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0115\" height=\"500\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4721423757_296bd97988.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">You know, the usual.</p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">At the end of the night, everyone was sent home with a Nintendo points card of their very own and nail polish to continue the pampering at home (thanks again, Nintendo!)</p><p style=\"text-align: left;\"></p></div>\n<p></p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4721418193/\" title=\"DSC_0108 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0108\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4721418193_6f7e09db04.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4721417471/\" title=\"DSC_0109 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0109\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4721417471_c7cbca8f7e.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p>One of my friends, <a href=\"http://twitter.com/Isis_Parenting\">Cindy</a> from <a href=\"http://www.isismaternity.com/\">Isis Parenting</a>, was gracious enough to\nbring even more girly goodies -- sweet-smelling lotions and creams for\nthe mamas in the room. (Um, that would be everyone!)</p><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4722075162/\" title=\"DSC_0129 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0129\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4722075162_06fb75555b.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">Thanks to <a href=\"http://www.nintendo.com/wii\">Nintendo</a> and <a href=\"http://www.nintendo.com/wii/netflix\">Netflix</a> for giving a group of Boston Mamas a fabulous night in...and to the girls that made the night such a blast! I&#39;m still enjoying all the goodies and wine you brought us!</p><p style=\"text-align: left;\"><em><span style=\"color: #737373;\">Disclosure: As an official Nintendo Enthusiast I&#39;ve received a Wii Fit Plus from Nintendo. To host this party I received a three month Netflix subscription, as well as all food for the party. In addition, Nintendo also sent me Nintendo point cards and pedicure supplies for all my guests. I was not compensated for this post, and was under no obligation to write it. But the party was fun, and I wanted to thank the people at Nintendo for the fun night! </span></em></p><p style=\"text-align: left;\"></p>\n','Throwing a Girl\'s Night In ... with a little help from Nintendo and Netflix','\n','publish','open','open','','throwing-a-girls-night-in-with-a-little-help-from-nintendo-and-netflix','','','2010-06-21 17:12:18','2010-06-21 17:12:18','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=164',0,'post','',7),(165,1,'2010-06-20 19:30:42','2010-06-20 19:30:42','<a style=\"display: inline;\" href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f1851ee0970b-pi.jpg\"><img class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f1851ee0970b image-full \" style=\"border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: 0px;\" title=\"Men\'s Luxury Socks, Underwear &amp; Undershirts at BlackSocks.com_1277076086725\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f1851ee0970b-800wi.jpg\" alt=\"Men\'s Luxury Socks, Underwear &amp; Undershirts at BlackSocks.com_1277076086725\" width=\"507\" height=\"278\" border=\"0\" /></a>\r\n\r\nPerhaps its the never ending drone of the vuvuzuelas, or maybe it\'s the fact that it is Father\'s Day today (happy Father\'s Day, dads!) -- but I am compelled to tell you all about black socks.\r\n\r\nI received a pitch a few days ago from a company called, you guessed it,<a href=\"http://www.blacksocks.com/g3.cms/lang/us/s_page/79080/s_name/homepageus\" target=\"_blank\"> blacksocks.com</a>. I was about to delete it when I read this line, \"the target <a href=\"http://www.blacksocks.com/g3.cms/lang/us/s_page/79080/s_name/homepageus\" target=\"_blank\">Blacksocks</a> demographic is any man who\'s looked down to find his toe yawning out of a hole in his sock.\"\r\n\r\nI thought that was charming, and well, I know of a certain SOMEONE who fits that description so I checked out their site. Sure enough they sell socks. Black ones.\r\n\r\nI love the simplicity of that business model. There\'s something to be said for having a laser-like focus.\r\n\r\nAnyways, Father\'s Day = black socks in my mind, apparently.\r\n\r\nI did take them up on their offer to send me, or rather, the man with the yawning socks in my household, a pair of socks.\r\n\r\nThey came the next day.\r\n\r\nThey were Italian made.\r\n\r\nThey were black.\r\n\r\nHe loved them. Because he always needs black socks.\r\n\r\nPerfect.','Black Socks','','publish','open','open','','black-socks','','','2011-08-20 21:07:48','2011-08-21 01:07:48','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=165',0,'post','',0),(166,1,'2010-06-16 13:00:23','2010-06-16 13:00:23','<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><a title=\"6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa3a084970c-pi by R. S. M., on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4706798578/\"><img src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4706798578_804264c51d.jpg\" alt=\"6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa3a084970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"375\" height=\"500\" /></a></div>\r\nI wasn\'t going to post my life list online because, well,  everyone is doing one these days. It\'s really in danger of becoming just another internet meme. But the truth is that I\'ve always made life lists -- I don\'t always write them down, and I certainly haven\'t always had a little slice of the internet to post them to, but I\'ve always had a running to-do list for my life.\r\n\r\nI make lists because I\'ve always instinctively believed that if I plan on something it\'s more likely to happen. I don\'t think it happens because of magic -- I just think that when you know what you want out of life, you live your life in a way that makes what you want possible.\r\n\r\nIt makes sense to me, anyways.\r\n\r\nFor instance, I once was a psychobiology major. Until one day, when I decided that what I wanted to do in life was to work in marketing in the cosmetics industry, organic chemistry coursework be damned. So instead of studying for the MCAT or looking for work in a lab what I did a few weeks after graduation is open up the classifieds (the classifieds! That\'s a vintage story right there!) and look for a job in the beauty industry. Sure enough, there was a want ad for a cosmetics company. They were only looking for an assistant, but still. I applied, got the job, and within six months I was working in marketing. And the item got checked off the list.\r\n\r\nI\'ve also wanted to <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2007/09/i-see-famous-people-its-all-downhill-from-here.html\" target=\"_blank\">dance with Madonna</a>. Live in <a href=\"http://www.granadatur.com/en\">Europe</a>. Get a <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/howtoworkwithme.html\" target=\"_blank\">master\'s degree</a> on a full-tuition fellowship. Ride a camel through the <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2007/10/morocco-so-far-from-suburbia.html\" target=\"_blank\">Sahara desert</a>. Fanciful things all, and all things that have been accomplished.\r\n\r\nDid it hurt that they were on a list? I don\'t think so.\r\n\r\nSo, to this list I\'m posting online: I\'m posting not only because I was inspired by<a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Goddard_%28adventurer%29\" target=\"_blank\"> John Goddard</a> and <a href=\"http://mightygirl.com/mighty-life-list/\" target=\"_blank\">countless</a>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.chookooloonks.com/blog/2010/2/22/my-mighty-chookooloonks-life-list.html\" target=\"_blank\">others</a>, but because lately the internet has made\r\ncompleting things on my life list infinitely more feasible.\r\n\r\nThe list is a dynamic thing. I will be adding things as they occur to me. But for now, here is what I want to get done before I go:\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: 16px;\"><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/my-life-list\">My Life List</a></span></span>','Fait Accompli: On Life Lists','','publish','open','open','','fait-accompli-my-life-list','','\nhttp://www.everydaytreats.com/2007/09/i-see-famous-people-its-all-downhill-from-here.html','2011-03-06 15:48:02','2011-03-06 20:48:02','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=166',0,'post','',2),(167,1,'2010-06-16 12:03:21','2010-06-16 16:03:21','<p>An running to-do list for my life. <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2010/06/fait-accompli-my-life-list.html\" target=\"_blank\">More here</a>.</p>\n<ol>\n<li>learn to speak German</li>\n<li>volunteer to teach English to adults</li>\n<li>take belly dancing lessons</li>\n<li>travel to Greece</li>\n<li>define my personal sense of style</li>\n<li>own and ride a city bike</li>\n<li>become an early bird (wake up at 6 am every day)</li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2010/12/10-on-101010-updates-5-and-6-done.html\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"text-decoration: line-through;\">paint my nails black</span></a></li>\n<li>make pasta from scratch</li>\n<li>make cheese from scratch</li>\n<li>create a signature cocktail</li>\n<li>submit a book proposal</li>\n<li>sell an article to Vogue or Vanity Fair. (Or both! Why not?)</li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2010/12/10-on-101010-updates-5-and-6-done.html\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"text-decoration: line-through;\">finish c25K</span></a></li>\n<li>do 10 push ups</li>\n<li>get 10 hours of sleep a night for 10 nights in a row</li>\n<li>throw a cocktail party with fancy drinks and retro appetizers (pigs  in a blanket, cheese balls, etc..)</li>\n<li>learn how to use my DSLR</li>\n<li>throw a dinner party every other week for three months</li>\n<li>spend a weekend at Canyon Ranch</li>\n<li>take cooking lessons in France</li>\n<li>take pastry-making lessons</li>\n<li>work in the fashion industry</li>\n<li>go to Stonehenge</li>\n<li>shop the Paris flea market</li>\n<li>take singing lessons</li>\n<li>own a spa</li>\n<li>decorate my home and make it a reflection of who I am</li>\n<li>make photobooks for each of my three children</li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: line-through;\"><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2011/01/donating-hair-to-beautiful-lengths.html\" target=\"_self\">donate my hair to locks of love</a></span></li>\n<li>walk the great wall of China</li>\n<li>visit the pyramids of Giza</li>\n<li>go on an African safari</li>\n<li>go on a mule ride in the Grand Canyon</li>\n<li>create a garden hideaway</li>\n<li>teach my boys Spanish</li>\n<li>go a psychic</li>\n<li>knit a scarf</li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2011/01/donating-hair-to-beautiful-lengths.html\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"text-decoration: line-through;\">cut my hair short</span></a></li>\n<li>swim with dolphins</li>\n<li>own a beach house</li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2010/12/10-on-101010-updates-2-3-4-9-and-10.html\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"text-decoration: line-through;\">learn to sew</span></a></li>\n<li>go to Rapa Nui national park and touch the moai monoliths</li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2010/12/10-on-101010-updates-2-3-4-9-and-10.html\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"text-decoration: line-through;\">learn to parallel park (I know, I know)</span></a></li>\n<li>create a signature perfume</li>\n<li>make paper</li>\n<li>play matchmaker to a couple that ends up getting married</li>\n<li>write a children\'s book about being brave</li>\n<li>Take a US style road trip through Europe with my family</li>\n<li>Make a living doing things I love</li>\n<li>TBC...</li>\n</ol>\n','My Life List','\n','publish','closed','closed','','my-life-list','','\nhttp://www.everydaytreats.com/2010/06/fait-accompli-my-life-list.html','2013-01-04 11:36:25','2013-01-04 16:36:25','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=167',0,'post','',0),(168,1,'2010-06-15 14:04:53','2010-06-15 14:04:53','<p>I get, intellectually, why I should be angry at American Apparel for their <a href=\"http://gawker.com/5559165/american-apparel-has-a-full-body-head-to-toe-hiring-policy\">hiring policies</a>. I do. </p><p>However, this is a company that has spent millions trying to convince us that <em>lamé</em> shorts are a viable sartorial option.</p><p>I simply cannot take them seriously. Forgive me. I hope you understand. </p><p>\n<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f11aeb38970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"RSAC319_01\" border=\"0\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f11aeb38970b \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f11aeb38970b-800wi.jpg\" title=\"RSAC319_01\" /></a> <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef013484451680970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"Serve\" border=\"0\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef013484451680970c \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef013484451680970c-800wi.jpg\" title=\"Serve\" /></a> <br /> </p><p>I know I should be appalled at how they micromanage their <a href=\"http://gawker.com/5562965/american-apparels-complete-guide-to-grooming\" target=\"_blank\">employee&#39;s appearance</a>. But I&#39;m convinced the whole thing is a PR stunt<em>slash</em>joke. </p><p>I mean, have you seen Dov Charney? I know you have since he loves putting his greasy mug in front of any camera that comes within a five-mile radius of him, but here is a reminder nonetheless:</p><p>\n<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef013484451b18970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"Dov-Charney\" border=\"0\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef013484451b18970c image-full \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef013484451b18970c-800wi.jpg\" title=\"Dov-Charney\" /></a> </p><p>I know, I know. I&#39;m sorry for subjecting you to that. </p><p>Point is, here is a photo from their intranet, reminding employees the American Apparel policy on eye wear:</p><p>\n<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef013484451ec2970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"Aa_eyewear_01\" border=\"0\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef013484451ec2970c image-full \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef013484451ec2970c-800wi.jpg\" title=\"Aa_eyewear_01\" /></a> <br /> </p><p><em><a href=\"http://gawker.com/5563075/american-apparel-+-gallery/gallery/1\" target=\"_blank\">(photo via Gawker)</a></em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;\"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;\"></span></span>&quot;Up-to-date eyewear is a must?&quot; Dov is messing with us, obviously. That or he can&#39;t read, which frankly wouldn&#39;t be that much of a shocker.</p><p>So I stand by my theory that American Apparel is just messing with our heads. <a href=\"http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/dov_bare_market_QR6poNhQ57TSd5vsk4068K\" target=\"_blank\">I&#39;m pretty sure that they&#39;ll go away soon</a>, and take their pervy ads with them. </p><p>Oh, and they can take <a href=\"http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2010/03/everyone_in_fashion_knows_terr.html\" target=\"_blank\">Terry Richardson</a> with them. Good riddance.</p>\n','My Thoughts On American Apparel\'s Hiring Practices','\n','publish','open','open','','my-thoughts-on-american-apparels-hiring-practices','','','2010-06-15 14:04:53','2010-06-15 14:04:53','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=168',0,'post','',1),(169,1,'2010-06-10 17:59:31','2010-06-10 17:59:31','<p>There are some things about motherhood that are impossible for me to\ncomprehend. For instance, why would anyone refer to herself as a &quot;MILF&quot;?\nOn <em>purpose</em>?</p><p>Or, what, exactly, are &quot;mom jeans&quot;?</p><p>But\nwhy so many of us fall for &quot;mom hair&quot;? <em>That</em> I understand ...\nbecause I fell for it too! But I am here to help you so that you don&#39;t\nmake the same mistake I (and countless others) have. It may seem\nobvious, but here it is: Cutting your hair in a more &quot;mom&quot; style won&#39;t\nmake your life easier.</p><p>In fact, it may do just the opposite.</p><p><em><a href=\"http://www.blogher.com/case-against-mom-hair\" target=\"_blank\">Click here for more at Blogher.com</a></em></p>\n','The Case Against Mom Hair','\n','publish','open','open','','the-case-against-mom-hair','','','2010-06-10 17:59:31','2010-06-10 17:59:31','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=169',0,'post','',0),(170,1,'2010-06-05 17:47:29','2010-06-05 17:47:29','<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f037389e970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"Frankdesk-black\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f037389e970b \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f037389e970b-500wi.jpg\" /></a></p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">I always open up my <a href=\"http://www.gilt.com/invite/everydaytreats\">Gilt home emails </a>with detached curiosity -- I&#39;ve yet to make a purchase, I confess, because impulse shopping for luxury housewares is a bit beyond even me -- but I like looking at what&#39;s out there in the world of high-end furnishings. I&#39;m quite tired of the avalanche of <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2008/03/the-one-where-i-break-up-with-pottery-barn.html\">Pottery Barn</a> and Crate and Barrel catalogs, so the Gilt stuff is usually harmless eye candy.</p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">Harmless, because I never really fall in love with any of the stuff so there&#39;s no danger of me whipping out the debit card.&#0160; At least, that was the case until today. </p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">Did you see the Julian Chinchester desk? Isn&#39;t it divine? </p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">Too bad it&#39;s $4,500 retail (and &quot;only&quot; $1,980 at Gilt!). I know exactly where it would go in my home, just not where the cash to pay for it will.</p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">But, hey! At least I now know that there&#39;s desk out there that&#39;s perfect for me. That&#39;s worth something, right?</p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">(Here&#39;s a link to the <a href=\"http://www.julianchichester.co.uk/us/index.php?com=products&amp;id=frankdesk#\">manufacturer&#39;s site</a> in case you&#39;re not a Gilt member.)</p></div>\n','My Dream Desk! It\'s Out There and I didn\'t Even Know It','\n','publish','open','open','','my-dream-desk-its-out-there-and-i-didnt-even-know-it','','','2010-06-05 17:47:29','2010-06-05 17:47:29','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=170',0,'post','',1),(171,1,'2010-06-03 09:37:04','2010-06-03 09:37:04','<p>I can&#39;t decide if I&#39;m jealous or inspired by this 10 year old:</p><object classid=\"clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000\" codebase=\"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=10,0,0,0\" height=\"245\" id=\"msnbc9707ee\" width=\"420\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640\" /><param name=\"FlashVars\" value=\"launch=36846555&amp;width=420&amp;height=245\" /><param name=\"allowScriptAccess\" value=\"always\" /><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" /><param name=\"wmode\" value=\"opaque\" /><embed allowfullscreen=\"true\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" flashvars=\"launch=36846555&amp;width=420&amp;height=245\" height=\"245\" name=\"msnbc9707ee\" pluginspage=\"http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash\" src=\"http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"420\" wmode=\"opaque\" /></object><p style=\"font-size: 11px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: #999999; margin-top: 5px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; text-align: center; width: 420px;\">Visit msnbc.com for <a href=\"http://www.msnbc.msn.com\" style=\"text-decoration: none ! important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999999 ! important; font-weight: normal ! important; height: 13px; color: #5799db ! important;\">breaking news</a>, <a href=\"http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032507\" style=\"text-decoration: none ! important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999999 ! important; font-weight: normal ! important; height: 13px; color: #5799db ! important;\">world news</a>, and <a href=\"http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032072\" style=\"text-decoration: none ! important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999999 ! important; font-weight: normal ! important; height: 13px; color: #5799db ! important;\">news about the economy</a></p>\n\n<p></p>(Actually, I&#39;m pretty sure that I love her!)\n','Cecilia Cassini','\n','publish','open','open','','cecilia-cassini','','','2010-06-03 09:37:04','2010-06-03 09:37:04','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=171',0,'post','',1),(172,1,'2010-06-01 14:12:21','2010-06-01 14:12:21','<p>It&#39;s a bad, bad sign when your closet is so boring you can&#39;t bring yourself to put the laundry away. The ennui of folding and hanging the same boring old stuff was killing my soul.</p>\n\n<p>At least that&#39;s what I told myself when I bought this dress this morning:</p><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01348293bc9e970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"CSC_0100\" border=\"0\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01348293bc9e970c \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01348293bc9e970c-500pi.jpg\" title=\"CSC_0100\" /></a> </p><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3084948?cm_cat=datafeed&amp;cm_pla=dresses:women:dress&amp;cm_ite=calvin_klein_stitch_seam_dress:291760&amp;cm_ven=Froogle&amp;mr:trackingCode=BD21606E-1968-DF11-9DA0-002219319097&amp;mr:referralID=NA\" target=\"_blank\">Calvin Klein Poppy/Navy Stitch Seam Dress</a></p>\n\n<p>By the way, the dress <strong>was</strong> $129 retail, but I scored it for $49.99\nat TJ Maxx. Awesome, right?</p>\n\n<p>It&#39;s so cute on, I don&#39;t even care that I don&#39;t have a place to wear it to. But I&#39;m sure the occasion will present itself. </p>\n\n<p>(Maybe it&#39;s time I throw a Mad Men party? I don&#39;t know.)</p>\n\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">What I <em>do</em> know is that the picture above doesn&#39;t show the happy colors in the dress, so here&#39;s a close up:</p><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ef644b99970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"DSC_0093\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ef644b99970b \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ef644b99970b-500wi.jpg\" /></a></p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><p style=\"text-align: left;\">I plan on wearing it with a navy cardigan, and maybe pearls. Why not? If I&#39;m going to look like a Betty Draper wannabe, I might as well go all the way.</p><p style=\"text-align: left;\"></p> </div><p></p>\n','The Bloggable Closet: A Shot of Color!','\n','publish','open','open','','the-bloggable-closet-a-shot-of-color','','','2010-06-01 14:12:21','2010-06-01 14:12:21','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=172',0,'post','',6),(173,1,'2010-05-28 16:16:01','2010-05-28 16:16:01','<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ef286e79970b-pi.jpg\"><img alt=\"Twitter : Everyday Treats: Just realized that when I ..._1275071686048\" class=\"asset asset-image\nat-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ef286e79970b \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ef286e79970b-500pi.jpg\" style=\"border: 0px dotted #a2a2a2; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; display: block;\" title=\"Twitter : Everyday Treats: Just realized that when I ..._1275071686048\" /></a></p><p style=\"text-align: left;\"></p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">So.</p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">I&#39;ve been listening to the nineties station.\n\n\n\n</p>\n\n<p>OK, that&#39;s not quite true -- truth is, I&#39;ve been listening to the nineties station A LOT. And friends, nothing makes you feel old like knowing every single song in an &quot;oldies&quot; station when you just don&#39;t get a lot of the crap kids listen to nowadays.</p><p>Yeah. </p><p>I may be hip with the Twitter and the whatnot, but basically I&#39;m old. </p><p>What I am saying is, this is a warning. I&#39;m about to indulge in nineties nostalgia.</p><p>Ninetiestalgia, if you will. </p>\n\n<p>(Ninetiestalgia sounds like a disease, doesn&#39;t it? I guess isn&#39;t too far from the truth. It&#39;s an old-timer&#39;s disease. Badabum!)</p>\n\n<p>Anyways, I was thinking the other day (as I dabbed some CK One behind my ears and tapped my french manicured fingernails on my <em>Clueless</em> VHS tape) about nineties music. Like, I remember living in the nineties (I was in high school from 1989-1993 and college from 1993-1997) and thinking that the music that was the background of all that clubbing and step classing was so forgettable. &quot;Oh well,&quot; I remember thinking, &quot;at least it&#39;s fun.&quot;</p>\n\n<p>You know what, nineties me? You were wrong! Nineties music is not forgettable -- here you are thinking about it TWENTY years later.</p>\n\n<p>(What-ever! Talk to the hand!)</p>\n\n<p>But you were right about one thing, nineties me. The music <em>was</em> fun. And you know why? </p><p>Because in the nineties, we all thought we were supermodels. </p>\n\n<p>We loved supermodels something fierce back then, didn&#39;t we?\n\n</p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p></p>\n\n<p></p><p align=\"center\" class=\"asset asset-video\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0pt auto;\"><object height=\"385\" width=\"480\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/diYAc7gB-0A&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;\" /><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" /><param name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\" /><embed allowfullscreen=\"true\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" height=\"385\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/diYAc7gB-0A&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"480\" /></object></p>\n\n<p></p>\n\n<p>Then again, how could we not, when the music made us feel like we were on the runway too? </p>\n\n<p></p>\n\n<p align=\"center\" class=\"asset asset-video\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0pt auto;\"><object height=\"385\" width=\"480\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/XqzqedXI-Ng&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;\" /><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" /><param name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\" /><embed allowfullscreen=\"true\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" height=\"385\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/XqzqedXI-Ng&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"480\" /></object></p>\n<p></p>\n<p></p>\n\n<p>The Soup Dragons = College. </p>\n\n<p></p><p align=\"center\" class=\"asset asset-video\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0pt auto;\"><object height=\"385\" width=\"480\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/M3TIncTTL4k&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;\" /><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" /><param name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\" /><embed allowfullscreen=\"true\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" height=\"385\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/M3TIncTTL4k&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"480\" /></object></p>\n\n<p></p>The next three are so campy that I should be embarrassed for loving them as much as I do. But I am not embarrassed in the least.&#0160; <p></p>\n\n<p></p><p align=\"center\" class=\"asset asset-video\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0pt auto;\"><object height=\"385\" width=\"480\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/JQ2DVwSVIIo&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;\" /><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" /><param name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\" /><embed allowfullscreen=\"true\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" height=\"385\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/JQ2DVwSVIIo&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"480\" /></object></p>\n\n<p></p>\nRight Said Fred! Where are those guys? (I probably don&#39;t want to know.)\n<p></p>\n\n<p align=\"center\" class=\"asset asset-video\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0pt auto;\"><object height=\"385\" width=\"480\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/P5mtclwloEQ&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;\" /><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" /><param name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\" /><embed allowfullscreen=\"true\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" height=\"385\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/P5mtclwloEQ&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"480\" /></object></p>\n\n<p></p>\n<p></p>\n\n<p>\n\nRuPaul! Drag queens! When you spent the nineties in Miami, pictures of you hanging out with drag queens at <a href=\"http://www.miaminewtimes.com/related/to/Lucky+Cheng\">Lucky Cheng&#39;s</a> are bound to surface on Facebook...and, well, they have. There go my chances at ever running for public office, I guess. </p>\n\n<p>Oh well. Who cares! We had fun. Work it, girl!</p>\n\n<p></p>\n\n<p></p><div style=\"text-align: center;\"><br /></div><p align=\"center\" class=\"asset asset-video\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0pt auto;\"><object height=\"385\" width=\"480\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/1OH25Lty8gE&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;\" /><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" /><param name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\" /><embed allowfullscreen=\"true\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" height=\"385\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/1OH25Lty8gE&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"480\" /></object></p>\n\n<p></p>\n<p></p><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>I have one thing to say: Sashay, chante!</em><br />\n</p><p>And this...Wow. It&#39;s hard to remember a time when Madonna was classy and sexy. But there was! I know!&#0160;&#0160;</p><p></p><p align=\"center\" class=\"asset asset-video\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0pt auto;\"><object height=\"385\" width=\"480\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/mNgSy8HGWkk&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;\" /><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" /><param name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\" /><embed allowfullscreen=\"true\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" height=\"385\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/mNgSy8HGWkk&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"480\" /></object></p><p></p><p>I&#39;m sure some of you think this is a <em><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2010/04/the-power-of-madonna.html\">Glee</a>\n</em>rip-off. That&#39;s so depressing, I can&#39;t even find the words to\nexplain why.</p><p>So tell me, my little <a href=\"http://s0.ilike.com/play#The+Cure:High:14869:s1638564.10141047.4434528.0.2.17%2Cstd_261b4031b4eb4d3ca4889ee6749b88e4\" target=\"_blank\">kittens as cats</a> -- do you love campy nineties music as much as I do? What are your favorites? Time to make a playlist!</p><p></p>\n','Ninetiestalgia','\n','publish','open','open','','ninetiestalgia','','','2011-02-07 14:43:19','2011-02-07 14:43:19','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=173',0,'post','',5),(174,1,'2010-05-26 11:10:50','2010-05-26 11:10:50','<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef013481cea585970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"IMG_0855\" border=\"0\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef013481cea585970c \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef013481cea585970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"width: 240px;\" title=\"IMG_0855\" /></a> <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef013481ceacc9970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"IMG_0864\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef013481ceacc9970c\n\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef013481ceacc9970c-250wi.jpg\" style=\"width: 240px;\" /></a> <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ee9d2df1970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"IMG_0856\" class=\"asset asset-image\nat-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ee9d2df1970b \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ee9d2df1970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"width: 240px;\" title=\"IMG_0856\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ee9d2fb4970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"IMG_0858\" class=\"asset asset-image\nat-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ee9d2fb4970b \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ee9d2fb4970b-250wi.jpg\" style=\"width: 240px;\" title=\"IMG_0858\" /></a><br />&#0160;\n<br /><p><span style=\"text-decoration: none;\">Time to bring the <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2007/07/peonies-envy.html\">peonies</a> inside! My favorite flowers, made better when I<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2009/06/peonies-watch.html\"> grow them myself</a>. This year promises to be even better than last year. I guess persistence (and patience!) do pay off.<br /></span></p><p><span style=\"text-decoration: none;\">What&#39;s in your garden?<br /></span></p>&#0160;\n<br /> <br />\n','It\'s the most wonderful time of the year...','\n','publish','open','open','','its-the-most-wonderful-time-of-the-year','','','2010-05-26 11:10:50','2010-05-26 11:10:50','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=174',0,'post','',1),(175,1,'2010-05-24 11:21:36','2010-05-24 11:21:36','<p>So by now most of you have ha<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2010/05/reallife-style-or-here-this-is-what-i-look-like-on-video.html\">d the pleasure of seeing me on video</a>. Wasn&#39;t that fun? Taping that couldn&#39;t have come at a better time, since it is time for spring cleaning after all PLUS I&#39;m in the midst of de-pregnifying myself. I know that&#39;s just the most awful made up word, and I apologize, but I think I&#39;ve gone through enough birthing three babies and all so I think I&#39;ve earned the right to leave that word up there. I also can&#39;t come up with a better way to explain this...stage..that I&#39;m at. I don&#39;t fit in my maternity clothes, and I&#39;ve already hit up Old Navy for my in-between stage clothes, but the season has changed and I&#39;m not quite un-pregnant looking&#0160; yet and I&#39;m not about to go on another shopping spree just for some temporary clothing. I&#39;m too cheap to spend money on disposable clothes.</p>\n\n<p>So I&#39;ve focused my energies in clearing the clutter from my closet instead. I mean, just take a look at Mount Clothesmore right here:</p><div style=\"text-align: center;\"><div style=\"text-align: left;\">\n</div><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ee510fb9970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"DSC_0266\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ee510fb9970b \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ee510fb9970b-500pi.jpg\" title=\"DSC_0266\" /></a></p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">I&#39;m one of those strange creatures that really enjoys getting rid of stuff. I find a closet full of stuff I don&#39;t like incredibly depressing. It just makes me think of all the wasted potential, you know? I like the freedom that comes with having less useless stuff.&#0160; </p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">Anyways! I find that the easiest way to clean out the closet is to take everything out. EVERYTHING. I dump it in the most inconvenient place I can think of, because if I put it in a corner somewhere I&#39;ll be tempted to leave the piles of clothes festering for days. So I put it on top of my favorite place in the whole world, my bed, and I tell myself that when I&#39;m done with the project I&#39;ll be able to lie down for a nice nap as a reward for all my hard work. </p><div style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01348180ce32970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"DSC_0259\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01348180ce32970c \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01348180ce32970c-320wi.jpg\" /></a> <br /></div><p style=\"text-align: left;\"> After everything is laid out on the bed, I put it back -- and I force myself to do it one item at a time. If I have to think too hard about why I need those jean shorts circa 1992 or what the hell a particular stain is, the clothes don&#39;t go back. This is one of the few instances where my inherent laziness is an asset. If I can&#39;t be bothered to hang it up, off it goes to a donation box! I don&#39;t even have to fold it which pretty much tips the scales towards getting rid of most of it. Sneaky!</p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">Eventually, the work is done and I&#39;m left with a lot of empty hangers and shelves:</p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01348180d224970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\"><img alt=\"DSC_0263\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01348180d224970c \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01348180d224970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"margin: 0pt 5px 5px 0pt; width: 270px;\" title=\"DSC_0263\" /></a> <br />\n<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01348180d313970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"float: right;\"><img alt=\"DSC_0260\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01348180d313970c \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01348180d313970c-320wi.jpg\" style=\"margin: 0px 0px 5px 5px;\" /></a></p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">&#0160;<br /> </p></div><p><br /> </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>That&#39;s when the real fun begins! I&#39;m now down to the bare basics -- what still fits and is relatively decent after six years of childbearing and raising isn&#39;t much to sing about, I&#39;m afraid -- so I need to restock my closet. </p><p>I&#39;ve mentioned my distaste for buying for buying&#39;s sake in the past, so I&#39;ve decided that the best way to ensure that I buy things thoughtfully is to blog it. From now on I&#39;ll be blogging every item of clothing I purchase. It&#39;ll force me to think about what direction my style is headed, and I hope (I can only hope!) it&#39;ll make me think twice before I spend money on something regrettable -- like those shorts circa 1992.</p><p>Of course, I&#39;m a real person with a real budget, so I&#39;m not saying I&#39;ll be blogging about this every day -- I neither need nor have the funds to entertain you with a new outfit everyday -- but I&#39;ll be blogging my shopping strategies for the next year, and if I put the cash down for something clothing-wise it I&#39;ll be blogging it here.&#0160;</p><p>This should be interesting.</p>\n','The Bloggable Closet: New Beginnings','\n','publish','open','open','','the-bloggable-closet-new-beginnings','','','2010-05-24 11:21:36','2010-05-24 11:21:36','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=175',0,'post','',5),(176,1,'2010-05-23 08:43:00','2010-05-23 08:43:00','<p></p><p>The <a href=\"http://nymag.com/tv/the-real-housewives-of-new-york-city/\">NY Magazine recaps</a> of my most embarrassing, yet all-consuming, pop culture obsession: The Real Housewives of New York City&#0160;</p><p>Earworm that makes me laugh: <a href=\"http://perezhilton.com/2010-04-26-elegance-is-learned\">The Countess, of course</a>! (EeeeElegance is leeEEeearned, MAH friends!) </p><p><a href=\"http://thegloss.com/fashion/allie-brosh-presents-the-grizzly-bears-guide-to-flattering-fashion/\" target=\"_blank\">The Grizzly Bear&#39;s Guide to Flattering Fashion</a>: Allie Brosh is a genius.</p><p></p>\n','Linky - Random Things That Make Me Laugh','\n','publish','open','open','','linky-random-things-that-make-me-happy','','','2010-05-23 08:43:00','2010-05-23 08:43:00','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=176',0,'post','',0),(177,1,'2010-05-22 08:39:00','2010-05-22 08:39:00','<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef013480e03e83970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"float: right;\"><img alt=\"Chapter_Voyage_d_Hermes_1\" border=\"0\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef013480e03e83970c \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef013480e03e83970c-320pi.jpg\" style=\"margin: 0pt 0pt 5px 5px;\" title=\"Chapter_Voyage_d_Hermes_1\" /></a><em></em><em></em></p>\n\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #b9b9b9;\"></span></em>I&#39;m not a professional nose, so the best way I can describe<a href=\"http://www.voyagedhermes.com/en_US/#/film\" target=\"_blank\"> Voyage D&#39;Hermes</a> is this: It smells expensive. It smells like leather. In fact, it smells to me like like what I can only imagine an exquisitely made saddle would smell like: Like expensive leather.</p>\n\n<p>In other words, it smells just like a fragrance by Hermes should.</p>\n\n<p>I read the book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Deluxe-How-Luxury-Lost-Luster/dp/1594201293\">Deluxe: How Luxury Lost its Luster</a> a while back, and I was struck by how Hermes is one of the few truly luxury houses left. If there&#39;s one thing I can&#39;t stand is things that are expensive based on a logo and past reputation. Why should you pay a fortune for something that&#39;s made nearly as cheaply as mass-market goods?</p>\n\n<p>You shouldn&#39;t, is the point.</p>\n\n<p>This fragrance smells better hours after you wear. It&#39;s confident, subtle, and leathery -- in a good way.&#0160;</p>\n\n<span style=\"color: #8b8b8b;\"><span style=\"color: #8b8b8b;\"><em>The people at Hermes sent me\na small sample of this fragrance to try.</em> </span></span><span style=\"color: #8b8b8b;\"><em>I was not compensated for this post. As is my policy, I\naccepted the sample without committing to writing about it - either positively or negatively. However, I like the fragrance enough that I&#39;d buy it when my sample runs out. Just so you know. </em></span>\n','Voyage D\'Hermes','\n','publish','open','open','','voyage-dhermes','','','2010-05-22 08:39:00','2010-05-22 08:39:00','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=177',0,'post','',0),(178,1,'2010-05-21 13:16:00','2010-05-21 13:16:00','<p><em>“Napping is too luxurious, too sybaritic, too unproductive, and it’s free; pleasures for which we don’t pay make us anxious”</em><br />\n&#0160;&#0160;&#0160; &#0160;&#0160;&#0160; &#0160;&#0160;&#0160; &#0160;&#0160;&#0160; &#0160;&#0160;&#0160; --Barbara Holland, <a href=\"http://\">Endangered Pleasures:&#0160; In Defense of Naps, Bacon, Martinis, Profanity and Other Indulgences</a><img border=\"0\" height=\"1\" src=\"http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mothisblisort-20&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1\" style=\"border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; font-family: yui-tmp;\" width=\"1\" /></p>\n\n<p>\nAmericans are afraid of naps.&#0160; I for one, am proof of that.&#0160; I am always exhausted, and I wear it as a badge of honor, like an idiot happily wearing a paper cone on her head.&#0160; </p>\n\n<p>Why do we fight the urge to nap?&#0160; As a mother, I live for naps.&#0160; The kid’s naps, I mean.&#0160; I know that they are happier kids every time they nap.&#0160; They are able to focus, smile more, and are an all-around pleasure to be around.&#0160; When they skip a nap, or when they fight sleep, they are nothing short of a hysterical mess.&#0160; And you know what? The same applies to adults.</p><p>Including me. *gulp*</p>\n\n<p>So I will try to nap more.&#0160; Maybe I will be more fun to be around.&#0160; Maybe I will regain my pre-motherhood brain? Who knows! That would certainly be a bonus!&#0160; At least I will lose the dark circles under my eyes. Think of the amount of money I&#39;ll save on concealer alone.</p>\n','Naps are Good','\n','publish','open','open','','naps-are-good','','','2010-05-21 13:16:00','2010-05-21 13:16:00','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=178',0,'post','',0),(179,1,'2010-05-20 13:58:24','2010-05-20 13:58:24','If there is one thing I enjoy less than seeing myself on film, it\'s hearing myself on film. There\'s a reason I choose to write rather than perform on camera...and you\'ll get to see why in just a minute.\r\n\r\nA producer for iVillage emailed me a few weeks ago and asked if I would show their readers the inside of my closet. They\'re showcasing the style of real life women and \"not supermodels\" (their words, ha!) to celebrate the relaunch of their <a href=\"http://www.ivillage.com/beauty-style\">Beauty and Style</a> section.\r\n\r\nWell, I\'m a real life woman and I\'m not a supermodel so I can see why they asked me. OBVIOUSLY.\r\n\r\nSo, if you\'ve ever been curious about what I look and sound like PLUS you want to take a peek into my badly-lit closet, <a href=\"http://www.ivillage.com/real-life-style/5-a-168869\">this one\'s for you</a>:\r\n                <iframe id=\"vsmFrame\" frameborder=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" height=\"279\" width=\"274\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"http://video.tvguide.com/controls/videosearch.aspx?keywords=sarmiento&max=1&partnerid=vsc&\"></iframe>\r\n            \r\n&nbsp;','Real-Life Style (Or, Here! This is what I look like on video!)','','publish','open','open','','reallife-style-or-here-this-is-what-i-look-like-on-video','','','2011-12-11 10:25:04','2011-12-11 15:25:04','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=179',0,'post','',1),(2390,1,'2011-12-13 11:58:03','2011-12-13 16:58:03','','Paperless Post   Browse   Take the Day Off','','inherit','open','open','','paperless-post-browse-take-the-day-off','','','2011-12-13 11:58:03','2011-12-13 16:58:03','',2389,'http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Paperless-Post-Browse-Take-the-Day-Off.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),(2391,1,'2011-12-13 11:58:04','2011-12-13 16:58:04','','Paperless Post   Browse   To a Movie Night','','inherit','open','open','','paperless-post-browse-to-a-movie-night','','','2011-12-13 11:58:04','2011-12-13 16:58:04','',2389,'http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Paperless-Post-Browse-To-a-Movie-Night.png',0,'attachment','image/png',0),(180,1,'2010-05-20 07:03:17','2010-05-20 07:03:17','<p>I bought the J.Crew Sanur dress over a year ago. I loved it the second I saw it at the store -- it looked so comfortable and easy to wear, and as a bonus you could wear it as both a dress <em>and</em> a skirt. I was smitten! I even <a href=\"http://www.stylelist.com/2009/01/09/j/\" target=\"_blank\">wrote about it</a> for work. I bought one in navy, figuring I could always go back and buy another color if I loved wearing it as much as I loved buying it.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4621634333/\" style=\"float: right;\" title=\"DSC_0089 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0089\" height=\"500\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4621634333_11a403379e.jpg\" style=\"margin: 0pt 0pt 5px 5px;\" title=\"DSC_0089\" width=\"334\" /></a></p><p>A couple of days later, I found out I was pregnant, and my new dress was quickly put aside. Instead, it was time to find the big box of maternity clothes, and the dress was forgotten.</p><p>(I told you it was a sad story!)</p><p>I found the dress again when I was packing for our beach trip. The tags were still attached. I threw it in the suitcase without a second thought. </p><p>I think that&#39;s the point. This dress is so easy!</p><p>I would not be exaggerating if I told you that I wore that dress every day we were gone, because I did indeed wear it every day.</p><p>I wore it as a very <em>Sex in the City</em>&#39;s Charlotte(esque) strapless A-line dress. One day, I added a pink patent leather belt to make it fun. When I went on house tours, I wore it as a skirt with a bright orange tee. Here I am wearing it with a tank top -- it was the last day of our vacation and we were saying goodbye to the beach before it was time to pack up the rental.</p><p>The dress was (and is) perfect: So easy to wear, so soft, and so versatile. I loved it, and decided to buy another one when I got home.</p><p>When we got home, I logged on the J. Crew and...the dress was sold out. </p><p>Gone.</p><p>(So sad!)</p><p>The moral of the story is: If you find something you love, GRAB IT before it&#39;s gone. </p><p><a href=\"http://www.sadtrombone.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Cue the sad trombone.</a></p>\n','A (sad) story about a dress.','\n','publish','open','open','','sadness','','','2010-05-20 07:03:17','2010-05-20 07:03:17','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=180',0,'post','',1),(181,1,'2010-05-18 15:37:44','2010-05-18 15:37:44','<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0134810fd36a970c-pi.jpg\"><img alt=\"IMG_0794\" border=\"0\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0134810fd36a970c \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0134810fd36a970c-500pi.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; display: block;\" title=\"IMG_0794\" /></a></p><p>But she&#39;s right, life IS too short. Don&#39;t be boring!</p><p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Don&#39;t be boring and dress cute wherever you go. Life is too short to blend in. -- Paris Hilton</span></p><p></p>\n','I can\'t believe I\'m quoting Paris Hilton...','\n','publish','open','open','','i-cant-believe-im-quoting-paris-hilton','','','2010-05-18 15:37:44','2010-05-18 15:37:44','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=181',0,'post','',1),(182,1,'2010-05-17 16:06:05','2010-05-17 16:06:05','<p>&quot;Come on out and let me show you something.&quot;</p><p>I was hastily packing up the stroller, rushing to get the kids out of the restaurant before they made a scene. (We were at a place called S.N.O.B., after all.) So then this man, in Chef whites and a moustache, smiled at me and helped me leave the restaurant, I just assumed he was trying to get me out of there quickly. I couldn&#39;t blame him, really. Faster turnover equals faster profits. Plus, I had small children with me.</p><p>&quot;Would you take a look at that!&quot; He said, pointing upwards.</p><p>I looked up. What on earth was he talking about? God? The gaslight? What?</p><p>&quot;I planted that Jasmine ten years ago! Can you smell that? Bet you don&#39;t get those up north!&quot;</p><p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef013480f2a472970c-pi.jpg\"><img alt=\"IMG_0827\" border=\"0\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef013480f2a472970c \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef013480f2a472970c-500pi.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; display: block;\" title=\"IMG_0827\" /></a></p><p>I couldn&#39;t believe it. The <a href=\"http://www.mavericksouthernkitchens.com/snob/team.html\" target=\"_blank\">executive chef</a>, the man whose distinctly mustachioed face had stared back at us from multiple press clippings hung on the restaurant walls, wanted to make small talk.</p><p>It was the start of the dinner rush. We saw them turn people away, they were so busy. </p><p>And still, he wanted to take a minute to talk gardening with a tourist. So I fought my urge to just hightail it out of there and had a lovely conversation about jasmine, fruit and grass-fed beef with the busiest person in the building.</p><p>Things are done differently down\nthere. I loved Charleston. Thank you for making me feel welcome! And thank you, <a href=\"http://nothingbutbonfires.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Holly</a>, for your generous guidance on things to do. </p><p><em>My apologies for basically dropping off the face of the internet...Our trip to to South Carolina was absolutely lovely, but coming back home after a week away was brutal. I still haven&#39;t unpacked the suitcases, though I think I can blame that on glorious weather we&#39;ve finally had here in Boston. What a great welcome home, Beantown! </em></p><p></p>\n','Southern Hospitality','\n','publish','open','open','','southern-hospitality','','','2011-02-06 18:03:05','2011-02-06 18:03:05','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=182',0,'post','',1),(183,1,'2010-05-03 11:30:59','2010-05-03 11:30:59','Yesterday was spent traveling from Boston to the islands of Charleston. I had to laugh when I saw myself in the mirror at the Charleston airport because A) I looked so stereotypically Bostonian in my grays and knit layers and B) I remembered some posts I&#39;ve read lately on travel uniforms. I think you have to make an effort to look decent so that the airline staff treats you seriously, but you also have to be comfortable -- especially when traveling with three little boys.\n\n(I have to note that no one gave me a hard time while traveling with the boys. While I have to give my sons mad props for behaving, I think that people trusted our competency as travelers because we didn&#39;t look like we just rolled out of bed. Even though that&#39;s pretty much what we did at 5 am. Shh!)\n\nThis is my travel uniform. It&#39;s like traveling in a blanket, which is just another way of saying, it&#39;s like traveling in awesome.\n\nOpen cardigan: Calvin Klein (scored at TJ Max for $25!)\n\nT-Shirt: I don&#39;t know, but I bought it at Nordstroms on sale eons ago.\n\nJeans: Old Navy (great for post-maternity period. They&#39;re super soft and a tad big)\n\nShoes: Elie Tahari (they&#39;re a mix between ballet slippers and driving mocs -- great for slipping on and off at the airport)\n\nAs comfy as I was traveling in this, I&#39;m looking forward to trading in my knits for dresses and bathing suits. I&#39;m off to build some sandcastles for now!\n\n\n\n<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef013480578af4970c-pi.jpg\"><img alt=\"My Travel Uniform\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef013480578af4970c \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef013480578af4970c-500pi.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; display: block;\" title=\"My Travel Uniform\" /></a>\n','My Travel Uniform','\n','publish','open','open','','my-travel-uniform','','','2010-05-03 11:30:59','2010-05-03 11:30:59','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=183',0,'post','',1),(184,1,'2010-04-29 09:40:47','2010-04-29 09:40:47','<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ed0de53b970b-pi.jpg\"><img alt=\"Bostbe\" border=\"0\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ed0de53b970b \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ed0de53b970b-500pi.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; display: block;\" title=\"Bostbe\" /></a> <br /> <p>Yesterday was spent riding the rails with one of my little boys. We had a blast.</p><p>Nothing like spending a day in Boston to celebrate the last cold, rainy, parka-requiring day of the year -- at least that&#39;s what I say!</p><p>Here&#39;s to sunny days ahead...</p>\n','Hanging Out With My Boy','\n','publish','open','open','','hanging-out-with-one-of-my-boys','','','2010-04-29 09:40:47','2010-04-29 09:40:47','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=184',0,'post','',0),(185,1,'2010-04-27 13:58:50','2010-04-27 13:58:50','<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><p style=\"text-align: center;\">&quot;I know a couple things about manners. I just don&#39;t use them.&quot; --Snooki</p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">Could Snooki be the modern-day <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mae_West\" target=\"_blank\">Mae West</a>? It&#39;s a stretch, but I see it. The gaudy make-up, the self-deprecating quips, the hair...well, maybe not the hair.</p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">Either way, they both make me laugh. I love me some Snooki!</p><p>&#0160;\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">\n<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ecff1231970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"SnookiQuote\" border=\"0\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ecff1231970b image-full \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ecff1231970b-800wi.jpg\" title=\"SnookiQuote\" /></a> </span></p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"></span></div><div style=\"text-align: center;\"><p><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"> </span>(Original image from <a href=\"http://www.harpersbazaar.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Harper&#39;s Bazaar</a>, scanned and edited by me)</em></p></div>\n','Snooki!','\n','publish','open','open','','snooki','','','2010-04-27 13:58:50','2010-04-27 13:58:50','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=185',0,'post','',2),(186,1,'2010-04-25 14:20:22','2010-04-25 14:20:22','<p>I wanted to check out the Zac Posen Target line that came out this weekend, but most of it was already gone at my local store. </p>\n\n<p>Bummer.</p>\n\n<p>All they had were a couple of pirate shirts and lots of polyester dresses that sadly weren\'t tempting in the least. The famous maxi dress has potential, but the only size left was XXL.</p>\n\n<p>I have the worst luck with these Target designer collaborations. Maybe next time?</p>\n\n<p><!-- (DWIM) attachments start here --></p>\n\n<p><a style=\"display: inline;\" href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef013480217db0970c-pi.jpg\"><img class=\"asset  asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef013480217db0970c\" alt=\"Zac Posen for Target -- Not For me\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef013480217db0970c-580wi.jpg\"  /></a> <br /></p>\n','Zac Posen for Target -- Not For me','\n','publish','open','open','','zac-posen-for-target-not-for-me','','','2010-04-25 14:20:22','2010-04-25 14:20:22','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=186',0,'post','',1),(187,1,'2010-04-23 15:35:48','2010-04-23 15:35:48','<div style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">\n<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01348016485d970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"MMEL\" border=\"0\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01348016485d970c \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01348016485d970c-800wi.jpg\" title=\"MMEL\" /></a> </span></p><p><em>(Image Credit: Marilyn Monroe Collection)</em></p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"></span></div><p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"> </span>&#0160;I&#39;m a huge fan of Erno Laszlo. I&#39;d read about the line for years, and I was thrilled when I got the chance to try the brand. I&#39;ve been using it ever since I reviewed them and, while I&#39;ve occasionally strayed, my skin always looks best when I use the routine they recommended to me for a few days. It&#39;s old school, but it works for me.</p>\n\n<p>Anyways,<a href=\"http://bit.ly/ajSjaq\" target=\"_blank\"> the angle of my review was that I was trying out Marilyn&#39;s favorite beauty brand</a> (she was a patient of Dr. Laszlo) -- and today I found this video from the brand where they show off the actual products that were found in her home when she died. Turns out they bought them at that big 2005 auction of Marilyn memorabilia. </p>\n\n<p><object height=\"385\" width=\"480\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/XQl42F0p6W4&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;rel=0\" /><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" /><param name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\" /><embed allowfullscreen=\"true\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" height=\"385\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/XQl42F0p6W4&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;rel=0\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"480\" /></object></p>\n\n<p>Fascinating? A little creepy?</p><p>I find it fascinating, but maybe that&#39;s just me. What about you?</p>\n','Erno Laszlo and Marilyn','\n','publish','open','open','','erno-laszlo-and-marilyn','','','2010-04-23 15:35:48','2010-04-23 15:35:48','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=187',0,'post','',2),(188,1,'2010-04-22 07:48:00','2010-04-22 07:48:00','<p>OK! Fine! Glee freaks -- you win. I used to secretly make fun of you, but no more. I&#39;m on your side now.</p>\n\n<p>You see, I didn&#39;t understand the Glee phenomenon until last night. I had seen a few episodes, three maybe, and I thought it was cute at best. But mostly boring.</p>\n\n<p>But the Madonna episode? It was GENIUS.</p><object height=\"296\" width=\"512\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.hulu.com/embed/WKWcG6OzjUCpA9pttwu8SA/i1540\" /><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" /><embed allowfullscreen=\"true\" height=\"296\" src=\"http://www.hulu.com/embed/WKWcG6OzjUCpA9pttwu8SA/i1540\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"512\" /></object>\n\n<p>Two quotes from the inimitable Sue Sylvester, the most bad-ass villain on TV:</p><p><em><strong>Sue:</strong> You don&#39;t deserve the power of Madonna... simply put, you have all\nthe sexuality of all those pandas down at the zoo, who refuse to mate.</em></p><p>and<em><br /></em></p><p><em><strong>Sue: </strong>Somewhere on the English countryside, in a stately manor, Madonna\nis weeping.</em></p><p>Haaa!<em><br /></em></p><p>I once was lost, but now I&#39;m found. And I have <a href=\"http://nopasanada.org/\">Heather</a> to thank. ¡Gracias, chica!</p>\n','The Power Of Madonna...','\n','publish','open','open','','the-power-of-madonna','','','2010-04-22 07:48:00','2010-04-22 07:48:00','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=188',0,'post','',2),(189,1,'2010-04-21 11:37:49','2010-04-21 11:37:49','<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ecd74695970b-pi.jpg\"><img alt=\"IMG_0714\" border=\"0\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ecd74695970b \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ecd74695970b-500pi.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; display: block;\" title=\"IMG_0714\" /></a></p><p>I&#39;ve come to accept the fact that the only way I ever make it to yoga is to have my yoga bag (mat, socks, water bottle, towel, sticky towel) ready to go at a moment&#39;s notice -- even if I never actually have the luxury to do things at a moment&#39;s notice. Every single outing demands planning and coordination worthy of a battle plan. </p><p>I also find that always being prepared is the secret to getting just about everything done. Funny how that works.</p> <em>(PS - I&#39;ve sent my usual yoga bag -- I just used an old Lululemon shopping bag, like half the people in my class -- to the grocery bag pile. <a href=\"http://www.yakpak.com/common/pagedetail.aspx?PageCode=billboardbags\" target=\"_blank\">Yak Pak </a>and <a href=\"http://www.terracycle.net/\" target=\"_blank\">Terracycle</a> asked me to try this tote made out of discarded billboards, it&#39;s pretty cute, green AND stands up on it&#39;s own. I likey.)</em>\n','\"Be Prepared\"','\n','publish','open','open','','be-prepared','','','2010-04-21 11:37:49','2010-04-21 11:37:49','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=189',0,'post','',0),(190,1,'2010-04-20 07:32:00','2010-04-20 07:32:00','<p>Tell me these are not the most fabulous necklaces you have EVER seen:</p><p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ecca4279970b-pi.jpg\"><img alt=\"V_cobalt_large\" border=\"0\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ecca4279970b \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ecca4279970b-500pi.jpg\" title=\"V_cobalt_large\" /></a>&#0160;</p><p>(I can see myself wearing this with jeans and a tee. Or a summer dress. Or anything, really. I just want to wear it.)<br /> </p><p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01347ffa5379970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"></a><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ecca3e8c970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"En_destiny_large\" border=\"0\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ecca3e8c970b \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ecca3e8c970b-500pi.jpg\" title=\"En_destiny_large\" /></a></p><p>(This one might be a bit much in person, but oh! To dream about wearing this someday. How glamorous!)<br /><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01347ffa5379970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"> </a></p><p></p><p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01347ffa5379970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\">&#0160;<br /> <img alt=\"En_black_multi_large\" border=\"0\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01347ffa5379970c \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01347ffa5379970c-500pi.jpg\" title=\"En_black_multi_large\" /></a></p><p>(This one is meant to wake up that tired old black dress or sweater you have in your closet. You know the one.)</p><p>Who makes these beauties? A designer named<a href=\"http://shop.elvafields.com/pages/about-us\" target=\"_blank\"> Emily Wheat Maynard</a> -- her company is called <a href=\"http://shop.elvafields.com/pages/about-us\">Elva Fields</a>.</p><p>The good news: These necklaces are handmade and one of a kind.&#0160;</p><p>The bad news: The styles I like are sold out. Boo! Hiss! (Also, they&#39;re pricey.)</p><p>I think I&#39;ll have to stalk the website...I&#39;m dying to own one of her pieces.</p> <p></p><p></p>\n','Obsessed: The Statement Necklace!','\n','publish','open','open','','elva-fields-statement-necklace','','','2010-04-20 07:32:00','2010-04-20 07:32:00','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=190',0,'post','',1),(191,1,'2010-04-19 07:14:00','2010-04-19 07:14:00','<p>You guys, I&#39;m obsessed with brows. It&#39;s gotten to the point where I can&#39;t stop staring at pretty brows online, which means that I&#39;m spending a lot of time staring at pictures of Megan Fox.</p><div style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ecbcc16d970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"Normal_megan-fox_net_Breakthrough_Of_The_Year_Awards_(24)\" border=\"0\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ecbcc16d970b \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ecbcc16d970b-800wi.jpg\" title=\"Normal_megan-fox_net_Breakthrough_Of_The_Year_Awards_(24)\" /></a> <br /></div><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em> (Don&#39;t tell me those brows aren&#39;t impressive.)</em></p><p>Of course, that means that I&#39;m obsessed with <strong>my</strong> brows. I&#39;m very particular about how they are done. I don&#39;t like them to be too thin or too short. I know exactly what I want them to look like, so you can imagine how pleasant it is for the brow techs when I sit in their chair (&quot;don&#39;t make them too thin, but not too thick either, oh! And make me look natural but glamorous...&quot;)</p><p>I bit the bullet recently and went to Boston&#39;s top brow maven. I had always wanted to see what all the fuss was about, but she charges an exorbitant fee (four times as much as the next most expensive brow person I&#39;ve gone to) but I figured since I&#39;m so obsessed with brows it would be worth it. It&#39;s not like I spend a fortune on my hair. </p><p>(I get my hair cut about twice a year. <em>Shhh</em>!)</p><p>I was determined to get my money&#39;s worth, so I gave her my very detailed list of what I wanted before I would even sit at her chair. I was sure she would think I was nuts, but she just nodded approvingly. She said she actually appreciated that I cared that much. Then she worked for 45 minutes, and my heart was palpitating the entire time. Was I a sucker for spending so much on my brows? What if I ended up looking permanently angry? (It&#39;s happened before -- some brow ladies think they&#39;re hilarious. They are not.)</p><p>Well, my first brow shaping with Boston&#39;s eyebrow queen was INCREDIBLE. She somehow made my brows look thicker and longer by spending 45 minutes pulling hair out. It was miraculous.</p><p>I was sold.</p><p>The second time I visited her I spent a good ten minutes chatting with her about what I wanted, and once again she worked her magic. Awesome.</p><p>The third time...well, by then I figured she knew what she was doing, so I just sat down and took a little nap while she worked. Then she handed me the mirror, and OHMYGODMYBROWS!</p><p>My brows! They were short, pointy, pencil-thin ghosts of their once glorious selves.</p><p>Right then and there, I resolved to learn how to do my own brows. I was tired of repeating what I wanted, over and over again. The suspense of each eyebrow appointment was just too much for me. So now I take care of things myself.</p><p><a href=\"http://www.blogher.com/dreaming-perfectly-groomed-brows-heres-how-do-it-yourself\" target=\"_blank\">My secret? Stencils. Yes! Stencils!</a></p><p>Links and stuff are at my post at Blogher Style, but suffice it to say -- I&#39;m better off just doing it myself. That way I can call all the time I spend looking at brows online &quot;educational&quot; -- right?</p><p>Right.</p><p></p><p></p>\n','Perfecting the Brow','\n','publish','open','open','','perfect-eyebrows','','','2010-04-19 07:14:00','2010-04-19 07:14:00','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=191',0,'post','',2),(192,1,'2010-04-18 09:55:00','2010-04-18 09:55:00','<div style=\"text-align: center;\">\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Just something pretty for you today.</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">I wanted to share these incredible drawings of Audrey Hepburn I found on <a href=\"http://coolechicstylefashion.blogspot.com/2009/11/audrey-hepburn-little-black-dress.html\">coolechicstylefashion.com</a>, and a quote from Audrey herself. Have a great Sunday!</p>\r\n<a style=\"display: inline;\" href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01347fe7de7b970c-pi.jpg\"><img class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01347fe7de7b970c image-full \" title=\"Audrey-hepburn-the-little-black-dress-illustration\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01347fe7de7b970c-800wi.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Audrey-hepburn-the-little-black-dress-illustration\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0pt; font-size: 12px;\"><strong>“People, even more than\r\nthings, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed;\r\nnever throw out anyone.” </strong></p>\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0pt; font-size: 12px; text-align: right;\"><strong><em>Sam Levenson as quoted by Audrey Hepburn</em></strong></p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n</div>','Never Throw Out Anyone...','','publish','open','open','','never-throw-out-anyone','','','2011-05-27 15:12:36','2011-05-27 19:12:36','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=192',0,'post','',3),(193,1,'2010-04-17 07:53:00','2010-04-17 07:53:00','<p>I was sent the most amazing bodyshaper exactly six (yes, SIX) months ago and I haven&#39;t told you all about it because, well, it was sent to me by the manufacturer within a week of my third baby being born -- and to be honest with you, things were just too crazy for me to actually sit down and blog. About anything. So to expect me to write something about underwear?</p><p>Forget about it.</p><p>And I did, except for the fact that I absolutely fell in love with the<a href=\"http://www.amonmaternity.com/products.htm\" target=\"_blank\"> Amon forgive body shaper</a>. (I am not being paid to say this, by the way. Amon asked if I wanted one when my baby was born, and I said yes. That was it. They never heard from me again. UNTIL NOW. HAAAAA!)</p><p>I have tried belly bands, other shapers, EVERYTHING -- the Amon brief is the best thing ever.&#0160;</p><p>I&#39;m pretty much back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but my midsection still has the consistency of pudding. I know I should do core exercises, but I don&#39;t have the time -- and my six month old baby weighs 21 pounds already, so I&#39;m physically beat at the end of the day. I just don&#39;t get to work on my core as much as I should. </p><p>I know. Excuses, excuses.</p><p>ANYWAYS. This thing? Makes me go down one jeans size. Which means that if I want to wear my real pants, I have to wear it. Because the scale says I&#39;m back to normal, but my overstretched belly muscles say &quot;No, we just want to hang out all over the place.&quot; This thing keeps them in line.</p><p>But the important thing, is that the forgive is comfortable. It&#39;s just stretchy underwear that goes up past your belly button. It makes me feel some support, gives me a more defined waistline, holds in my gut and looks smooth under dresses. The black one is actually pretty.</p><p>It&#39;s so comfortable, that sometimes I sleep in it. Enough said.&#0160;</p><p>Like I said, I wear it all the time and I had not thought to tell you about it until now because I just sat down to buy one WITH MY OWN MONEY and then it hit me: If I&#39;m willing to pay for something even after I got it for free I should let you all know, right?</p><p>So there it is. The Amon Forgive. Best bodyshaper ever. I don&#39;t think you even have to be post-partum to enjoy it. It&#39;s good stuff.</p><p></p>\n','My Favorite Bodyshaper','\n','publish','open','open','','my-favorite-bodyshaper','','','2010-04-17 07:53:00','2010-04-17 07:53:00','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=193',0,'post','',2),(194,1,'2010-04-16 10:37:50','2010-04-16 10:37:50','<p>This might sound crazy, even hilarious, to some of you out there (because my life the past six months has been nothing but a MESS) but I am a very organized person. I love nothing more than making to do lists and actually checking things off. I like having a plan and knowing what I&#39;m going to be doing on a particular day and where, exactly, a particular item of anything is.</p><p>I label with abandon.</p><p>I schedule.</p><p>(It makes me happy.)&#0160;</p><p>(Not surprisingly, I hate surprise parties.)</p><p>Unfortunately, I have fallen off the organization bandwagon and I am lost in my own life. I&#39;ve been working on getting my life back in order -- and while it has been overwhelming, I am slowly (and I mean s-l-o-w-l-y) getting back on track. </p><p>You would think that nested to do lists, labeled drawers and a full calendar would just add more stress in my life, but I find quite the opposite. Every single thing I put away takes me closer to that peaceful place where everything has its place and I can get more things done.</p><p>How about you? Do you like being organized? Do you find zen in a clean closet?</p>\n','Organizers and Neat Freaks, Unite!','\n','publish','open','open','','organizers-and-neat-freaks-unite','','','2010-04-16 10:37:50','2010-04-16 10:37:50','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=194',0,'post','',0),(195,1,'2010-04-15 15:58:23','2010-04-15 15:58:23','<p>There are four women who I find so irresistible that I will automatically purchase any magazine that puts them on the cover: Audrey Hepburn, <a href=\"http://www.blogher.com/we-try-out-marilyn-monroes-favorite-beauty-products-do-they-still-work\" target=\"_blank\">Marilyn Monroe</a>, <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2008/10/i-am-a-jackie-i-do-everything-the-right-way.html\" target=\"_blank\">Jackie Kennedy</a> and Grace Kelly. It doesn&#39;t matter how many times I&#39;ve read (or, to be honest, reread) their life stories, or how blurry the never-before-seen photos are -- I&#39;m helpless to their charms, and I instantly and happily part with my money. After all, what&#39;s $4 in exchange for a little girlish fantasy? </p>\n\n<p>Which probably explains why I have a subscription to Vanity Fair. Have you noticed that they have <a href=\"http://cm1.theinsider.com/thumbnail/400/425/cm1.theinsider.com/media/0/94/83/marilyn-monroe-vanity-fair-october-2008-cover.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">one</a> of these <a href=\"http://media.wwd.com/images/processed/wwd/2009/09/02/portrait/02-tout/vanity_fair.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">women</a> on the <a href=\"http://img364.imageshack.us/i/vanityfair591cover1e6c9sy8.jpg/\" target=\"_blank\">cover</a> at least once a year? You&#39;d think the ladies are still with us, but no -- their lives were just that fascinating that we still want to read about them.</p>\n\n<p>Imagine my delight when this month&#39;s magazine landed in my mailbox and I saw my favorite classy blonde on the cover:</p>\n\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4499569533/\" title=\"gkvfcover by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"gkvfcover\" height=\"500\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4499569533_c4a83425e3.jpg\" width=\"386\" /></a></p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">Lovely!</p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">When I read the article&#39;s teaser -- <em>How a Philadelphia Dreamer Became a Princess and Why Her Classic Style Still Inspires</em> -- I knew I was in for a treat, so I settled in on the sofa for a few minutes of escape. Princes! Diamonds! Monaco! What&#39;s not to love?</p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">Then I noticed the <em>other</em> teasers.</p><p style=\"text-align: left;\"><em>TIGER WOODS:</em> (ugh!) <em>The Women, The Kinks, and How it All Came Crashing Down</em></p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">For the love of everything, Tiger Woods? And then, as if thing couldn&#39;t get any worse:</p><p style=\"text-align: left;\"><em>TIGER&#39;S GIRLATHON GALLERY!</em></p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">Seriously? How tacky!</p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">And of course, I went straight to the Tiger stuff. Because I&#39;m only human, people.</p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">The Tiger article was predictably sleazy, but what I really found interesting were the pictures of the women he cheated with (or the &quot;girlathon gallery&quot; as VF so classily called it) -- the pictures were definitely styled to contrast with Grace Kelly&#39;s photos. </p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">For example, here&#39;s Grace Kelly giving us a knowing look over her left shoulder:</p>\n\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4499569369/\" title=\"gkvf by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img height=\"500\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4499569369_41b8bf7fc2.jpg\" width=\"386\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>And here&#39;s the modern day of the over-the-left-shoulder look:</p><p style=\"text-align: left;\"></p><p style=\"text-align: left;\"></p><p style=\"text-align: left;\"></p>\n\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4500204812/\" title=\"gkvfbed by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"gkvfbed\" height=\"500\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4500204812_fa484439ab.jpg\" width=\"386\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>Um, yeah...Who needs clothes when there&#39;s the NY Post, right?</p>\n\n<p>One more! Here&#39;s Grace Kelly in a white bathing suit:</p>\n\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4499575767/\" title=\"gkvfkellysuit by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"gkvfkellysuit\" height=\"500\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4499575767_8c3b0a9a9c.jpg\" width=\"386\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>And here&#39;s the modern day version:</p>\n\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4500205408/\" title=\"gkvfwhitesuitkelly by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"gkvfwhitesuitkelly\" height=\"500\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4500205408_a975de1efe.jpg\" width=\"386\" /></a></p><p>We live in awful times. Truly.</p>\n\n<p></p><p style=\"text-align: left;\"></p><p style=\"text-align: left;\"></p>\n','One of these things...','\n','publish','open','open','','one-of-the-these-things','','','2010-04-15 15:58:23','2010-04-15 15:58:23','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=195',0,'post','',1),(196,1,'2010-04-01 15:19:13','2010-04-01 15:19:13','<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><p style=\"text-align: left;\">Time to fire up the<a href=\"http://www.random.org/\"> old random number generator</a> and choose a lucky winner for the $<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2010/03/i-drove-a-lincoln.html#more\">500 giftcard giveaway from Lincoln</a>. </p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">Drumroll, please :</p><p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ec631850970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"RANDOM.ORG - True Random Number Service_1270148537455\" border=\"0\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ec631850970b \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133ec631850970b-800wi.jpg\" style=\"margin: 2px;\" title=\"RANDOM.ORG - True Random Number Service_1270148537455\" /></a></p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">Commenter #1 wins!</p><p style=\"text-align: left;\"></p></div> <p>(I think this is great -- I&#39;m usually hesitant to be the first to enter a sweepstakes because doesn&#39;t it always seems like the first and last entry never win? But this time, entry #1 did! She who hesitates loses! The early bird gets the worm! Etc...)</p><p>Let&#39;s see, who&#39;s on first?</p><p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef013110092af2970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"Winner\" border=\"0\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef013110092af2970c image-full \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef013110092af2970c-800wi.jpg\" title=\"Winner\" /></a> <br /> </span>&#0160;<br /> Congratulations, Michelle Woo! Now you can continue to get compliments and strange stares -- but this time you&#39;ll have an extra $500&#0160; in your wallet!</p><p>Thank you all for your comments!</p>\n','And the winner of a $500 giftcard from Lincoln is...','\n','publish','open','open','','and-the-winner-of-a-500-giftcard-from-lincoln-is','','','2010-04-01 15:19:13','2010-04-01 15:19:13','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=196',0,'post','',1),(197,1,'2010-03-30 00:23:33','2010-03-30 00:23:33','<p></p>\n\n<p></p>&nbsp;<a href=\"http://www.blogher.com\"><img  src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/BHReviewer.gif\" alt=\"BlogHer Reviewer\" /></a> &nbsp; &nbsp;\n<a style=\"display: inline;\" href=\"http://www.blogher.com/announcing-2010-version-community-keynote-voices-year\"><img  title=\"VoYGala_125x125_Finalist\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f286f6b0970b \" alt=\"VoYGala_125x125_Finalist\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0133f286f6b0970b-500wi.gif\" /></a>&nbsp; <br>\n','','\n','publish','closed','closed','','links','','','2011-02-07 14:48:56','2011-02-07 14:48:56','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=197',0,'post','',0),(198,1,'2010-03-29 17:13:59','2010-03-29 17:13:59','<p>If you represent a product that you think would be a good fit for me\nand my readers, go ahead and pitch me. I\'ll contact you if I\'m\ninterested. Please note that by agreeing to try out your product I\'m not\nguaranteeing coverage - you are sending me the product as a sample for\nconsideration.</p>\n\n<p>If your client wants guaranteed coverage and/or to control the\nmessage, you are free to purchase display advertising on the sidebar or,\nbetter yet, you can hire me as a copywriter. Samples of my work are\navailable upon request (and in the health and beauty section of your\nnearest pharmacy).</p>\n\n<p><strong>WHAT I DON\'T DO</strong><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\"><br></span></p>\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\"></span>As tempting as it is, I won\'t\nwrite for your site for free (or for exposure, or for fun). I will not\nreprint your press release or use a pre-written review. </p>\n\n<p>(Seriously, people.)</p>\n\n<p>I already volunteer to causes that are important to me. I simply\ncan\'t donate my time and expertise to your paying clients, even if you\nask nicely. </p>\n','A Note To PR Professionals','\n','publish','closed','closed','','a-note-to-pr-professionals','','','2010-03-29 17:13:59','2010-03-29 17:13:59','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=198',0,'post','',0),(199,1,'2010-03-29 17:08:45','2010-03-29 17:08:45','<p>I\'m a style and parenting blogger and I work well with others. I\'ve worked with incredible brands on all types of campaigns -- from big to small. <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/brands-ive-worked-with.html\" target=\"_blank\">(Click here for a listing of some of my favorites</a>)</p>\n<p>Please read on if you\'re interested in working with me:</p>\n<p><strong>WRITING<br /></strong></p>\n<p>As a writer, I very much enjoy creating content - whether it be for websites, blogs, brochures, product packaging or advertising - I\'ve done it all. <a href=\"mailto:editor@everydaytreats.com\">Please contact me</a> if you\'d like to hire me to write for you.</p>\n<p><strong>CONSULTING</strong></p>\n<p>I\'ve worked in brand and product management at some of <a href=\"http://www.chapstick.com/\">the</a> largest <a href=\"http://www.colgate.com/app/Colgate/US/HomePage.cvsp\" target=\"_blank\">health</a> and <a href=\"http://www.loreal.com/dispatch.aspx?\" target=\"_blank\">beauty</a> companies in the world. <a href=\"http://www.darden.virginia.edu/html/landing.aspx?prog=mba\">I have an MBA</a>. I have experience in both the US domestic and international markets. I\'m fluent in both English and Spanish, and know enough French to find the library.</p>\n<p>And yes, I know my way around the internet.</p>\n<p>Think you might want to work together? <a href=\"mailto:editor@everydaytreats.com\">I\'d love to hear from you!</a></p>\n','How To Work With Me','\n','publish','closed','closed','','howtoworkwithme','','','2010-03-29 17:08:45','2010-03-29 17:08:45','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=199',0,'post','',0),(200,1,'2010-03-19 07:39:00','2010-03-19 07:39:00','<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://view.picapp.com/default.aspx?term=woman%20mirror&amp;iid=2828369\" target=\"_blank\"><img alt=\"Mitzi Gaynor\" border=\"0\" height=\"395\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/Mitzi_Gaynor_b228.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">I chose this picture of Mitzi Gaynor for my latest <a href=\"http://www.blogher.com/one-day-i-decided-i-was-beautiful\" target=\"_blank\">series</a> of BlogHer <a href=\"http://www.blogher.com/developing-selflove\" target=\"_blank\">posts</a> because it represents everything I&#39;m trying to say about self-acceptance: </p><blockquote><p style=\"text-align: left;\">I&#39;m no expert, but what has worked for me boils down to one thing:\nbeing kind to myself. My research showsthat the same idea has worked\nfor many others. The particular advice may differ, but the central idea remains: treat yourself with the love you deserve, even if you don&#39;t\nbelieve that you <em>do</em> deserve it, and eventually it will come\nback to you. I know it&#39;s easier said than done, but ultimately it&#39;s\neasier to treat yourself right than to constantly put yourself down. Promise.</p>\n\n</blockquote><p style=\"text-align: left;\">Just look at her! She looks so supremely confident and happy, and I suspect it&#39;s in no\nsmall part because she&#39;s kind to herself. My favorite part is that she&#39;s a dancer, but she&#39;s treating herself to a\ndonut. </p><p style=\"text-align: left;\">It&#39;s not all or nothing, people. Healthy people eat donuts too.</p>\n','Accepting your beauty','\n','publish','open','open','','accepting-beauty','','','2011-02-06 18:03:34','2011-02-06 18:03:34','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=200',0,'post','',2),(201,1,'2010-03-16 11:47:41','2010-03-16 11:47:41','<div class=\"posterous_autopost\"><p><a href=\"http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/everydaytreats/PMfucLU1F3ZW7VuPqsR5fp3EDEbOVLxFaC4f4QhyIcnjMeDzEhkC6w287R88/CameraBag_Photo_1001.jpg\"><img height=\"500\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/CameraBag_Photo_1001.jpg.scaled.500.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a> </p><p style=\"font-size: 10px;\"> <a href=\"http://posterous.com\">Posted via email</a> from <a href=\"http://everydaytreats.posterous.com/city-hall-57\">Everyday Treats</a></p> </div><p>I just went to City Hall, a wonderfully strange and retro place, to pick up my third child&#39;s birth certificate. He&#39;s now five months old. This made me laugh, because when my first was born I was at City Hall on his tenth day -- the first day they would allow me to pick up a copy.</p><p>It was very nostalgic this time. I&#39;m a pro at picking up birth certificates by now -- I know exactly which hallway I need to go to, and I also know where to pay. Then again, I&#39;m pretty sure this is the last time I&#39;ll be picking up a birth certificate for one of my children. That feels sad but also, liberating. </p><p></p>\n','City Hall','\n','publish','open','open','','city-hall','','','2010-03-16 11:47:41','2010-03-16 11:47:41','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=201',0,'post','',1),(202,1,'2010-03-15 18:07:32','2010-03-15 18:07:32','<a href=\"http://oascentral.blogher.org/RealMedia/ads/click_nx.ads/blogher.org/Lincoln_Q1-10_Review_9/1[randomNo]@x13\" target=\"_blank\"> <img src=\"http://oascentral.blogher.org/RealMedia/ads/adstream_nx.ads/blogher.org/Lincoln_Q1-10_Review_9/1[randomNo]@x13\" border=\"0\" alt=\"\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<em>This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Lincoln.</em>\r\n\r\n<strong>Check out the <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http://www.blogher.com/lincoln-night-on-the-town-sweepstakes?Reviewer9\" target=\"_blank\">BlogHer.com special offers page</a> to check out other blogger reviews and to enter for a chance to win a night on the town from Lincoln! <a href=\"http://www.blogher.com/lincoln-sweepstakes-official-rules-6\">Official Rules are here</a>.</strong><a href=\"http://oascentral.blogher.org/RealMedia/ads/click_nx.ads/blogher.org/Lincoln_Q1-10_Review_9/1[randomNo]@x13\" target=\"_blank\"> </a>\r\n\r\n<em><strong>Also! Check the bottom of this review for your chance to win a $500 Visa Gift card! </strong></em>\r\n\r\nI\'ll start at the end: I was sorry to see this car go.\r\n\r\n<a title=\"DSC_0101 by R. S. M., on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4420732697/\"><img src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4420732697_da1c9d6116.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0101\" width=\"500\" height=\"334\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<!--more-->\r\n\r\nThat alone should tell you plenty, but there\'s more to this story than that.\r\n\r\nWhen I fell pregnant with our third child, my husband and I started looking for a bigger car. We wanted something that could handle three kids in car seats and visiting grandparents, plus play dates, strollers, and oh yeah, groceries. We really, really wanted to avoid a minivan, so we looked at crossovers galore -- but we always felt cramped and there were always features missing. And then it hit us: We didn\'t like any of the crossovers because deep down we really wanted a minivan.\r\n\r\nGulp. I mean, that didn\'t sound like us...but there was nothing out there that met our needs. So that must mean that we needed a minivan, right?\r\n\r\nFull disclosure: In all our driving of crossover vehicles, we never once considered going into a Lincoln dealership. But here we are, still needing a bigger car, not quite ready to buy a van. So when BlogHer asked if I\'d like to test drive a Lincoln crossover I very quickly agreed. What did I have to lose?\r\n\r\nThe Lincoln MKT has many fabulous aspects to it, and some not so great things about it. I can summarize it for you like this: Love the interior, hate the exterior.\r\n\r\nLet\'s get the dislikes out of the way:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>The Lincoln grille: It\'s a love-it or hate-it thing, and unfortunately I\'m in the hater camp. It\'s too aggressive for my taste, and I\'m dismayed that so many car makers are headed in this big-grilled direction. Car designers? Please stop it with the big grilles.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>The third row: It\'s cramped. It seats two. It\'s hard to get to. I\'m 5\'7\" and my head was hitting the ceiling. However! My five year old and two year old fit just fine. Related peeve: The second row doesn\'t move forward to give more room to the third when needed. I wish I had tried out a model with captain\'s chairs, but since I didn\'t I can only tell you what it was like in a model with a bench on the second row.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>The car\'s exterior seems unnecessarily long -- I feel that space is wasted to make the car look pointy and long. I\'d rather have had that space on the inside of the car.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>The rear window: You cannot see from the rear window. I mean this, there is close to zero visibility. No, really. Look:</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<a title=\"IMG_0606 by R. S. M., on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4421687086/\"><img src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4421687086_6a3b591e37.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_0606\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>\r\n\r\nSo, what <em>did</em> I like about the MKT?\r\n\r\nA lot, it turns out. Like I said earlier, this is a luxury car, as evidenced by the myriad little details that make driving this car a pleasure. To wit:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>This car is quiet. So very quiet. It was such a treat to enjoy the delicious silence -- there was no engine noise, no road noise, nothing. Driving this car was actually relaxing. Well done.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>The interior is full of nice details. First of all, it\'s beautiful:</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<a title=\"IMG_0612 by R. S. M., on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4420729205/\"><img src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4420729205_31c06feab5.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_0612\" width=\"375\" height=\"500\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"DSC_0099 by R. S. M., on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4421497494/\"><img src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4421497494_d7d0d3a6e6.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0099\" width=\"500\" height=\"334\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"IMG_0613 by R. S. M., on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4421494958/\"><img src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4421494958_45684e953d.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_0613\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>\r\n\r\nNice, no?\r\n\r\nThere are also ridiculous little luxuries, like heated <em><strong>and</strong></em> cooled seats:\r\n\r\n<a title=\"IMG_0625 by R. S. M., on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4420729859/\"><img src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4420729859_ef50488d8b.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_0625\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>\r\n\r\nA little light under the side mirror to light the ground for you when you get in and out of the car at night:\r\n\r\n<a title=\"DSC_0098 by R. S. M., on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4420731515/\"><img src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4420731515_dd4fd49bf9.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0098\" width=\"500\" height=\"334\" /></a>\r\n\r\nThere are also removable foot rests, headlights that turn on automatically when needed (incredibly nice when you enter a dark parking garage!), built in window shades for the second row...it\'s a lot of little things that add up nicely.\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>The back-up camera: While the rear window is pretty much useless, the car makes up for it with a fantastic back-up camera. Not only does it show you what\'s directly behind you, it also shows you what\'s coming from the sides of the car AND it makes backing up and parking pretty much idiot proof with handy trajectory predictors. Here I am trying to park on my first day with the car, when I simply wasn\'t familiar with its dimensions. As you can see, I was about to park on the sidewalk, which the guides made painfully obvious before i even took my foot off the brake:</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<a title=\"IMG_0603 by R. S. M., on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4420941737/\"><img src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4420941737_951ee4f48c.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_0603\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>\r\n\r\nSo with a flick of the wheel, a frustrating parking job became easy:\r\n\r\n<a title=\"IMG_0605 by R. S. M., on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4420728993/\"><img src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4420728993_f11e9b49cf.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_0605\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>\r\n\r\nI also loved the blind spot alarms -- they never went off on the open road, but they came in handy when parking in tight spots, which when you live in Boston is everywhere. The car I tested didn\'t have active park assist, but that would have been the icing on the cake.\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>The second row is ROOMY. It fits three car seats without any problems:</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<a title=\"DSC_0105 by R. S. M., on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4420733547/\"><img src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4420733547_bacb0e80cf.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0105\" width=\"500\" height=\"334\" /></a>\r\n\r\nHere\'s a gratuitous shot of my son, trying and failing to kick the back of the seat in front of him. (Airplane manufacturers, take note!)\r\n\r\n<a title=\"IMG_0607 by R. S. M., on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4420728895/\"><img src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4420728895_a67327c90c.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_0607\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Push Button Start: So, in this car you don\'t insert the key into the ignition. Weird, huh? Instead you press a button, and the car starts with a sequence of happy beeps as it adjusts your seats to your preferred position. This keyless start was frankly disturbing at first, but after a week of using it on the MKT I\'m annoyed at having to actually use a key to start my normal car. You just press a button! You can\'t beat that.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>The trunk: It\'s roomy and deep, like in a minivan. It has a power liftgate. I\'m sorry if this isn\'t interesting to you, but I have kids and that means that I have stuff. This car can handle it, even with the third row seats up. Here\'s the trunk, holding $200 worth of groceries (which admittedly isn\'t much these days, but there you are):</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<a title=\"IMG_0622 by R. S. M., on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4420729579/\"><img src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4420729579_fd88b61b4e.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_0622\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>\r\n\r\nNot bad. Now, fold down the third row and you can haul pretty much anything. I stuck a child\'s bike in there to give you a better idea of just how much room you have:\r\n\r\n<a title=\"DSC_0108 by R. S. M., on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4420734829/\"><img src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4420734829_7c9390088d.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0108\" width=\"500\" height=\"334\" /></a>\r\n\r\nYou can also fold down the second row for even more room, but I\'d keep that information to myself if I were you. You don\'t want everyone calling you when they need help moving, now do you?\r\n\r\nThe Lincoln MKT is powerful, fun, quiet (did I mention quiet?), and turns on a dime - I felt very confident driving it. That\'s why I miss it. It\'s a bit roomier than other crossovers - and a lot more luxurious. If you need a minivan or a minivan alternative, chances are you spend a lot of time in your car. This car makes you feel pampered while you sit around waiting for the kids. I must say, the MKT made running errands fun. I miss it!\r\n\r\n<strong>Now!</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Would you like to win a $500 Gift Card of your very own? Of course you do!\r\n</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Leave a comment on this post, telling me what car you drive right now (or maybe you take the train?) and I\'ll use random.org to select a winner. </strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Contest runs from 3/15/2010 to 3/31/2010</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>I\'ll need a valid email address to contact you if you\'re a winner -- so be sure to use a real email address when you leave your comment. </strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Good luck!</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong> </strong><em><strong>Check out the <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http://www.blogher.com/lincoln-night-on-the-town-sweepstakes?Reviewer9\" target=\"_blank\">BlogHer.com special offers page</a> to check out other blogger reviews and to enter for a chance to win a night on the town from Lincoln! <a href=\"http://www.blogher.com/lincoln-sweepstakes-official-rules-6\">Official Rules are here</a>.</strong><a href=\"http://oascentral.blogher.org/RealMedia/ads/click_nx.ads/blogher.org/Lincoln_Q1-10_Review_9/1[randomNo]@x13\" target=\"_blank\"> </a></em>','I Drove a Lincoln MKT, and I Liked It.','','publish','closed','open','','i-drove-a-lincoln','','','2011-03-03 16:05:55','2011-03-03 21:05:55','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=202',0,'post','',87),(203,1,'2010-03-15 15:54:10','2010-03-15 15:54:10','<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a937819a970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"Ctmj05.1-marc-jacobs-apple-bottle\" border=\"0\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a937819a970b \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a937819a970b-500pi.jpg\" title=\"Ctmj05.1-marc-jacobs-apple-bottle\" /></a> <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93782ab970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"Ctmj05.2-marc-jacobs-pomegranate-bottle\" border=\"0\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93782ab970b \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93782ab970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"width: 170px;\" title=\"Ctmj05.2-marc-jacobs-pomegranate-bottle\" /></a> <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310f9e0c39970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"Ctmj05.3-marc-jacobs-biscotti-bottle\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310f9e0c39970c \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310f9e0c39970c-500pi.jpg\" title=\"Ctmj05.3-marc-jacobs-biscotti-bottle\" /></a></p><p>It&#39;s been an awful rainy weekend and Monday here in Boston, so I was thrilled to receive samples of this year&#39;s Marc Jacobs Splash fragrances. They&#39;re so light and summery...a taste of the sunny weather that is sure to come. Someday.</p><p>(Right? I hope so!)</p><p>I personally liked the Biscotti because it smells clean and crisp -- like a nice bath should make you feel. Since they&#39;re splashes and don&#39;t last very long -- which is the point -- they&#39;re perfect for layering if you want a more complex fragrance. I can attest that Biscotti and Apple are quite yummy together!</p><span style=\"color: #5b5b5b;\"><em><span style=\"color: #a2a2a2;\">I received samples from the manufacturer, who agreed to send them to me under </span><a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/the_diary_of_a_reluctant_/how-to-work-with-me.html\" style=\"font-family: yui-tmp;\">these terms</a><span style=\"color: #a2a2a2;\">. </span><br /></em></span>\n','Marc Jacobs Splash','\n','publish','open','open','','marc-jacobs-splash','','','2010-03-15 15:54:10','2010-03-15 15:54:10','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=203',0,'post','',0),(204,1,'2010-03-03 08:25:27','2010-03-03 08:25:27','<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a8f1abc0970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"3497381067_0aaf518c4c\" border=\"0\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a8f1abc0970b image-full \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a8f1abc0970b-800wi.jpg\" title=\"3497381067_0aaf518c4c\" /></a> <br /><em>Image via <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/masaassassin/3497381067/in/photostream/\">masaassassin on Flickr</a></em> <em>under a Creative Commons license</em></p><p>I am Hispanic. This means a lot, but one of the things it means is that I love canned milk. I pour condensed milk on fruit, stir it in my espresso, use it to make arequipe (<em>dulce de leche</em> to argentines and gringos). Carnation milk makes creamy tomato soup to die for. </p><p>The New York <a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/03/dining/03milk.html?ref=global-home#\">times has a story on how America is discovering canned milk</a>. (Do not be discouraged by the vile dessert photographed -- what an unappetizing choice!) -- and I think you should too. I&#39;m trying the coconut <em>brigadeiros</em>, but if you&#39;re not familiar with canned milk cooking what you MUST try is <em>tres leches</em> cake. Ironically, <a href=\"http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/09/tres-leches-cake/\">the best recipe I&#39;ve found is at The Pioneer Woman&#39;s website</a> -- there&#39;s good stuff coming out of <a href=\"http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/09/tres-leches-cake/#\">Oklahoma</a> kitchens! If you ever wondered what Latin America tastes like, <em>tres leches</em> is it.</p><p></p>\n','Tres Leches and Carnation','\n','publish','open','open','','tres-leches-and-carnation','','','2010-03-03 08:25:27','2010-03-03 08:25:27','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=204',0,'post','',0),(205,1,'2010-03-02 08:35:05','2010-03-02 08:35:05','<div class=\"posterous_autopost\"><div class=\"posterous_bookmarklet_entry\"> <img height=\"337\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/media_httpguanabeecom_GAzgr.jpg.scaled500.jpg\" width=\"450\" />   <div class=\"posterous_quote_citation\">via <a href=\"http://guanabee.com/2010/03/brown-barbies-cost-less/\">guanabee.com</a></div> <p>Funny -- when I was a little girl I never had a brunette Barbie, so I tried to dye Barbie&#39;s hair once. It didn&#39;t end well.</p></div>   <p style=\"font-size: 10px;\"> <a href=\"http://posterous.com\">Posted via web</a>  from <a href=\"http://everydaytreats.posterous.com/guanabee-blonde-barbies-cost-twice-the-price\">Everyday Treats</a> </p> </div>\n','Guanabee | Blonde Barbies Cost Twice The Price Of Brown Barbies','\n','publish','open','open','','guanabee-blonde-barbies-cost-twice-the-price-of-brown-barbies','','','2010-03-02 08:35:05','2010-03-02 08:35:05','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=205',0,'post','',1),(206,1,'2010-02-17 20:26:16','2010-02-17 20:26:16','<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef012877b184c7970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"Photo\" border=\"0\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef012877b184c7970c image-full \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef012877b184c7970c-800wi.jpg\" title=\"Photo\" /></a></p><p>My husband and sons made him last night. He makes me smile every time I glance out the window. Not an easy thing to do for a snow hater like me!</p>\n','His Name is Fritz','\n','publish','open','open','','his-name-is-fritz','','','2010-02-17 20:26:16','2010-02-17 20:26:16','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=206',0,'post','',0),(207,1,'2010-02-05 11:26:58','2010-02-05 11:26:58','<img alt=\"Nutella Spooner\" height=\"393\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/4331449046_0832f0e2df.jpg\" width=\"500\" />\n<p><small>via <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/artofdessert/4331449046/in/pool-nutella-day\">www.flickr.com</a></small></p>\n\n<p>I&#39;m celebrating right now.</p>\n\n<p>Recipes and pictures <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2010/02/today-is-world-nutella-day.html\">here</a></p>\n','Today is World Nutella Day','\n','publish','open','open','','today-is-world-nutella-day','','','2010-02-05 11:26:58','2010-02-05 11:26:58','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=207',0,'post','',1),(208,1,'2010-01-26 07:05:00','2010-01-26 07:05:00','<div class=\"posterous_bookmarklet_entry\"><a href=\"http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=39065786\"><img alt=\"\" border=\"0\" class=\"posterous_download_image \" height=\"539\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/il_430xN.117841607.jpg\" width=\"430\" /></a>\n<div class=\"posterous_quote_citation\">via <a href=\"http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=39065786\">etsy.com</a></div>\n<p>How adorable and fashionable! I think I&#39;ve found my muse. I love The Black Apple&#39;s prints, and someday hope to buy one of her original works. For now, prints will suffice.</p>\n</div>\n<div class=\"posterous_bookmarklet_entry\"><a href=\"http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=36722140\"><img alt=\"\" border=\"0\" class=\"posterous_download_image \" height=\"483\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/il_430xN.109955860.jpg\" width=\"430\" /></a>\n<div class=\"posterous_quote_citation\">via <a href=\"http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=36722140\">etsy.com</a></div>\n<p>This one is going in the boy&#39;s room. I keep checking her shop for a print with three brown-headed boys. When she paints something it will be mine. MARK MY WORDS.</p><p></p><p>(<a href=\"http://www.theblackapple.typepad.com/\">Emily also has a blog. Check her out!</a>)</p>\n</div>\n','Another Black Apple Fan','\n','publish','open','open','','another-black-apple-fan','','','2010-01-26 07:05:00','2010-01-26 07:05:00','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=208',0,'post','',0),(209,1,'2010-01-24 21:29:19','2010-01-24 21:29:19','<div class=\"posterous_autopost\"><div class=\"posterous_bookmarklet_entry\"> <img height=\"288\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/media_httpwwwhorchowc_oHDtw.jpg.scaled500.jpg\" width=\"230\" /><img height=\"288\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/media_httpwwwhorchowc_yduki.jpg.scaled500.jpg\" width=\"230\" /> <div class=\"posterous_quote_citation\">via <a href=\"http://www.horchow.com/store/catalog/templates/HP3.jhtml?itemId=cat8330731&amp;parentId=cat000001&amp;masterId=cat000000&amp;cmCat=&amp;page=&amp;view=all&amp;filter1Type=&amp;filter1Value=&amp;filter2Type=&amp;filter2Value=&amp;filterOverride=&amp;sort=&amp;navid=viewall\">horchow.com</a></div><img height=\"288\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/media_httpwwwhorchowc_laEcm.jpg.scaled500.jpg\" width=\"230\" /><img height=\"288\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/media_httpwwwhorchowc_gdIko.jpg.scaled500.jpg\" width=\"230\" /> <div class=\"posterous_quote_citation\">via <a href=\"http://www.horchow.com/store/catalog/templates/HP3.jhtml?itemId=cat8330731&amp;parentId=cat000001&amp;masterId=cat000000&amp;cmCat=&amp;page=&amp;view=all&amp;filter1Type=&amp;filter1Value=&amp;filter2Type=&amp;filter2Value=&amp;filterOverride=&amp;sort=&amp;navid=viewall\">horchow.com</a></div><br /><p>I know, I know...Mirrored furniture could go incredibly wrong (oh, the possibilities for tackiness!), but I&#39;ve been dreaming of a mirrored console or bedside table for months now. Done right, they could add that dose of glamour I&#39;m looking for.</p><p>I&#39;m very partial to that bedside table...</p></div>  <p style=\"font-size: 10px;\"> <a href=\"http://posterous.com\">Posted via web</a> from <a href=\"http://everydaytreats.posterous.com/mirrored-furniture\">Everyday Treats</a> </p> </div>\n','Mirrored Furniture','\n','publish','open','open','','mirrored-furniture','','','2010-01-24 21:29:19','2010-01-24 21:29:19','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=209',0,'post','',0),(210,1,'2010-01-10 13:42:14','2010-01-10 13:42:14','<p>I&#39;m a style and parenting blogger and I work well with others.</p><p>Please read on if you&#39;re interested in working with me:</p>\n\n<p><strong>WRITING<br /></strong></p>\n\n<p>As a writer, I very much enjoy creating content - whether it be for websites, blogs, brochures, product packaging or advertising - I&#39;ve done it all. <a href=\"mailto:everydaytreats@gmail.com\">Please contact me</a> if you&#39;d like to hire me to write for you.</p>\n\n<p><strong>CONSULTING</strong></p>\n\n<p>I&#39;ve worked in brand and product management at some of the largest <a href=\"http://www.colgate.com/app/Colgate/US/HomePage.cvsp\" target=\"_blank\">health</a> and <a href=\"http://www.loreal.com/dispatch.aspx?\" target=\"_blank\">beauty</a>\n<a href=\"http://www.chapstick.com/\" target=\"_blank\">companies</a> in the world. <a href=\"http://www.darden.virginia.edu/html/landing.aspx?prog=mba\">I have an MBA</a>. I have experience in both the US domestic and international markets. I&#39;m fluent in both English and Spanish, and know enough French to find the library.</p>\n\n<p>And yes, I know my way around the internet. </p>\n\n<p>Think you might want to work together? <a href=\"mailto:everydaytreats@gmail.com\">I&#39;d love to hear from you!</a></p>\n\n<p><strong>A Note To PR Professionals</strong></p>\n\n<p>If you represent a product that you think would be a good fit for me and my readers, go ahead and pitch me. I&#39;ll contact you if I&#39;m interested. Please note that by agreeing to try out your product I&#39;m not guaranteeing coverage - you are sending me the product as a sample for consideration.</p><p>If your client wants guaranteed coverage and/or to control the message, you are free to purchase display advertising on the sidebar or, better yet, you can hire me as a copywriter. Samples of my work are available upon request (and in the health and beauty section of your nearest pharmacy).</p>\n\n<p><strong>WHAT I DON&#39;T DO</strong><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\"><br /></span></p>\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\"></span>As tempting as it is, I won&#39;t write for your site for free (or for exposure, or for fun). I will not reprint your press release or use a pre-written review. </p>\n\n<p>(Seriously, people.)</p>\n\n<p>I already volunteer to causes that are important to me. I simply can&#39;t donate my time and expertise to your paying clients, even if you ask nicely. </p><p><strong>ALL RIGHTS RESERVED</strong></p>\n\n<p>I reserve the rights to all my words and pictures, and you may not use them without my permission and proper attribution. </p><p>Thank you!</p>\n','How To Work With Me','\n','publish','closed','closed','','how-to-work-with-me','','','2010-01-10 13:42:14','2010-01-10 13:42:14','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=210',0,'post','',0),(211,1,'2010-01-09 22:53:53','2010-01-09 22:53:53','<p>I just fired up good old <a href=\"http://www.random.org/\">random.org</a> and we have a winner for the L&#39;Bel giveaway...the winner is comment #5:</p><p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef012876bf3f7a970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"RANDOM.ORG - True Random Number Service_1263094235691\" border=\"0\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef012876bf3f7a970c \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef012876bf3f7a970c-800wi.jpg\" title=\"RANDOM.ORG - True Random Number Service_1263094235691\" /></a></p><p>Congratulations DG! You&#39;ll be receiving an email from me and your L&#39;Bel products will be on their way to you!</p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a7bccbb4970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"Everyday Treats: Let Me Introduce You to L&#39;Bel_1263095481168\" border=\"0\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a7bccbb4970b image-full \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a7bccbb4970b-800wi.jpg\" title=\"Everyday Treats: Let Me Introduce You to L&#39;Bel_1263095481168\" /></a> <br />\n','L\'Bel Paris Giveaway Winner','\n','publish','open','open','','lbel-paris-giveaway-winner','','','2010-01-09 22:53:53','2010-01-09 22:53:53','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=211',0,'post','',1),(212,1,'2010-01-06 14:23:06','2010-01-06 14:23:06','<p>I hate to be a New Year&#39;s cliche, but it&#39;s only the 6th of January (¡feliz dia de reyes!) and it really does feel like a new beginning. Granted, it has a lot to do with how difficult December was for us and the fact that the end of the month coincided very well with an easing of said difficulties, coupled with the end-of-decade hype and, well, it doesn&#39;t matter does it? Point is I&#39;m feeling better and it&#39;s like a veil has been lifted from my eyes. So there&#39;s that.</p><p>Another thing is that my decision <a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/the_diary_of_a_reluctant_/2010/01/no-more-ms-scarlett.html\">to not put off pleasurable pursuits</a> (or to <em>Carpe Diem</em>, if you will) is already paying off. A<a href=\"http://ladybugs-12.blogspot.com/\"> friend of mine</a> mentioned yoga on twitter and I thought &quot;Yoga? I used to really enjoy that...&quot; and before I knew it I was emailing her asking for the name of the place, and then I mentioned to my husband that maybe I&#39;d go to yoga this week, and then it was morning and my husband said that maybe I could drop off our son at preschool on the way to yoga, and I was all like, &quot;what yoga?&quot;</p><p>&quot;Last night you said you were going to start doing yoga again.&quot;</p><p>&quot;I did? I mean, of course I did, but I didn&#39;t mean like starting <em>today</em> today.&quot;</p><p>&quot;So when? When are you going to start?&quot;</p><p>&quot;I don&#39;t know, I mean I have to do more research and type it into my calendar, and I haven&#39;t showered and I never leave the house without showering...&quot;</p><p>And then I heard myself and realized how stupid my excuses were and I just put on some yoga pants, grabbed the kid and went.</p><p>It was exhilarating. </p><p>I feel like I&#39;m on new batteries, which is exactly how one should feel the first week of January, don&#39;t you think? </p><p>Well, I&#39;m actually achy and sore and can&#39;t really lift my arms but it&#39;s a good kind of ache. And it hardly even matters that during yoga class I made an absolute fool of myself -- I walked in late, and I slipped from my mat and I had all the grace of a chicken. Really, the actual hour and half inside the yoga studio was about as humbling as it could be, but I&#39;m incredibly glad I went and can&#39;t wait to go back. </p><p>The instructor is also a medium -- did I mention that? Now she doesn&#39;t look like what I thought a medium would look like; she wasn&#39;t wearing a scarf on her head, for starters, and she wasn&#39;t wearing big hoop earrings, and as far as I could tell she didn&#39;t have a crystal ball anywhere on her person. Instead she was a cheerleader type: A pretty redhead with freckles and curls who kept talking about Facebook and Starbucks in between asking us to bend our bodies in meaningful ways and mentioning on occasion that she, like, talks to dead people.&#0160;</p><p>Okaaaaaay...</p><p>I only mention this because she kept coming over to me and looking at me in the eyes and pointedly asking me if I was OK. I couldn&#39;t tell if she was worried because of my definite lack of fitness or because in her wisdom as a medium she saw something wrong with my aura or karma or reiki or whatever. Or maybe it was because I had twisted my ankle earlier during a particularly vigorous jump. Point is, if you&#39;re a medium and your job is to touch people and guide them on their fitness journey you may not want to mention your abilities to your clients because it might freak them out.&#0160; </p>\n','Much Better','\n','publish','open','open','','much-better','','','2010-01-06 14:23:06','2010-01-06 14:23:06','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=212',0,'post','',3),(213,1,'2010-01-02 16:24:33','2010-01-02 16:24:33','<p>It seems that last night I took my resolution a <em>little</em> too literally. I went to bed at 1:00 AM and am now paying for it. You&#39;re probably wondering what on earth kept me up at that hour? Did I experience a burst of energy and creativity and take up painting, redo the living room, or maybe even put away the laundry?</p><p>No. </p><p>I stayed up watching a repeat of Jersey Shore. A REPEAT.</p><p>I may need to set a bedtime for myself. This is just pathetic. </p>\n','Note to self: No one ever regrets going to bed early.','\n','publish','open','open','','note-to-self-no-one-ever-regrets-going-to-bed-early','','','2010-01-02 16:24:33','2010-01-02 16:24:33','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=213',0,'post','',1),(214,1,'2010-01-01 14:15:25','2010-01-01 14:15:25','<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4234679312/\" title=\"scarlett-ohara by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"scarlett-ohara\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa397ab970c\" height=\"240\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa397ab970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"224\" /></a></p><p>I&#39;ve noticed that my four year-old has a habit of asking for things &quot;someday&quot; -- as in &quot;can we make a snowman someday?&quot; or &quot;someday, can you build a Lego house with me?&quot; It always struck me as odd and a little sad. Why someday and not today?</p><p>Of course, the reason he speaks that way is that he thinks that today isn&#39;t good enough for fun. And it&#39;s very likely that the reason he thinks that way is that he learned it from me. </p><p>(Ouch.)</p><p>This has bothered me for a while -- so much so that hearing him say &quot;someday&quot; is enough to get me to drop what I&#39;m doing and come up with something to do that very minute. But I haven&#39;t applied the same urgency to myself. Then I read and bookmarked <a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/29/science/29tier.html\">this article</a> (you know, so I could act on it later) and it&#39;s like a light bulb went off. I&#39;m going to stop procrastinating pleasure NOW.</p><p>So that&#39;s my resolution for this year: To not put off doing the things that I enjoy. </p><p>Sounds easy, but for an expert procrastinator like me it&#39;s a big challenge. One I&#39;m ready to face because by definition it should be fun.</p><p>Happy New Year&#39;s, everyone!</p>\n','No More Ms. Scarlett','\n','publish','open','open','','no-more-ms-scarlett','','','2010-01-01 14:15:25','2010-01-01 14:15:25','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=214',0,'post','',2),(215,1,'2009-12-11 15:50:56','2009-12-11 15:50:56','<p></p>\n\n<p>\n\n</p>\n\n\n<div style=\"float: left; margin-right: 5px;\"><script src=\"http://ads.blogherads.com/reviews/lbel/3.js\" type=\"text/javascript\"></script></div><p style=\"font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;\">This is a compensated review by BlogHer and L&#39;Bel.</p><div style=\"clear: both;\"></div><p><span style=\"color: #c00000;\">***UPDATE: Contest ends at 11:59 PM EST on 1/08/10. Comments <span>are now closed. Thank you for participating -- a winner will be announced tomorrow!</span></span><em><br /></em></p><p><em>The backstory: I received $200 worth of L&#39;Bel products and a small stipend to share my opinion on the L&#39;Bel line. Read on for a chance to win a product package for yourself that&#39;s even bigger than what I received. I&#39;m totally jealous!</em></p>\n\n<p>Have you heard about L&#39;Bel?</p>\n\n<p>No? </p>\n\n<p>Neither had I, until I was given the chance to test their products. The company describes itself as <em><br /></em></p><blockquote><p><em>...a brand developed with the support of the prestigious Centre de Biodermatologie des Laboratoires Serobiologiques and Sederma Socete d’Etudes Dermatologiques. The latest scientific innovations are incorporated into each product, creating a beauty regimen for radiant skin that withstands the passage of time. <br /></em></p>\n\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Phew! That is quite the introduction! It certainly sounds French. But I know what you&#39;re thinking, what are the products like? I have to tell you, I was impressed with what I got to try. Let me tell you about them for a bit, and then you can enter a contest to win even more products so you can try them for yourself.<em><br /></em></p>\n\n<p></p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef012876445dfd970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"M_200051793\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef012876445dfd970c \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef012876445dfd970c-120wi.jpg\" /></a> <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a741491a970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"M_200057734\" border=\"0\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a741491a970b \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a741491a970b-800wi.jpg\" title=\"M_200057734\" /></a> <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a741497f970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"M_200057747\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a741497f970b \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a741497f970b-120wi.jpg\" /></a> <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef012876445f45970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"M_200058463\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef012876445f45970c \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef012876445f45970c-120wi.jpg\" /></a>&#0160; <br /><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a7414a79970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"M_200060368\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a7414a79970b \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a7414a79970b-120wi.jpg\" /></a> </em><em><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef012876446052970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"V_200057734\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef012876446052970c \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef012876446052970c-120wi.jpg\" /></a></em><em><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef012876445fa0970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"M_279056000\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef012876445fa0970c \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef012876445fa0970c-120wi.jpg\" /></a></em><br /><em>&#0160;<br /> <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><br />Essential Exfoliating Balancing Cream</span> </em></p>\n\n<p>This cream cleanser was a nice surprise -- I usually stay away from scrubs because I find that they&#39;re too harsh. This one is very gentle and -- surprise! -- moisturizing. I totally appreciate this, since I&#39;m currently suffering the side effects of indoor heating. </p>\n\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Essential Astringent-Balancing Lotion Toner</em></span></p>\n\n<p>I&#39;m not going to lie: I don&#39;t buy toners. I hate that they&#39;re drying and smell like alcohol. This one has a very light fragrance and didn&#39;t make my face tight. </p>\n\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Collagenesse Facial Corrector Lotion for Wrinkles with Double Fill Effect</em></span></p>\n\n<p>Anti-aging treatments are my passion and this one is impressive. I can&#39;t tell you if it fills wrinkles because I&#39;ve only been using it for a few days, but I can tell you that it has an incredibly light texture and just melts into the skin. The packaging is very nice -- it would make a nice gift for that beauty junkie in your life. (Maybe you?)</p>\n\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Regression Jour</em></span></p>\n\n<p>I do not leave my house without some sun protection on my face. I love that this cream has an SPF of 15 <em>and</em> also has seaweed to add a nice moisturizing effect. (It doesn&#39;t smell like seaweed, so don&#39;t fear!) The lotion absorbs quickly, so I&#39;m able to put on my makeup quickly -- a plus in the mornings, when time is tight.&#0160;</p>\n\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Regression Yeux</em></span></p>\n\n<p>This eye cream is meant to fight the first signs of aging. I&#39;ve only used it for a few days, so I can&#39;t comment on that (though a girl can hope -- cross your fingers for me!) but I loved the texture of this cream, and it definitely kept the eye area moisturized overnight. It&#39;s light enough that I wore it under eye makeup with no problems. </p>\n\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Divinesse Luminesse </em></span></p>\n\n<p>This is a body lotion with the best scent -- it&#39;s not perfume-y or fruity or cloyingly sweet. It just smells clean and pretty. But the best part is that it will make you sparkle! No really, it has little sparkly bits in it which is fun, and somehow the effect is less disco queen and classier than you&#39;d expect. This might be my favorite product of the bunch.</p>\n\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Volume Cils XP Voluminous Mascara</em></span></p>\n\n<p>You know how mascara can make your lashes all clumpy and irritate your eyes? This one didn&#39;t do that. I liked it, even though I didn&#39;t notice any &quot;volumizing&quot; effect. I was left with darker, prettier lashes and the product stayed on until I washed it off. What more could you ask for?</p>\n\n<p></p>\n\n<p><em><strong>Now that you know a little bit about the products, Let L&#39;Bel Spoil You!<br /></strong></em></p>\n\n<p>My wedding day is the day I felt the most beautiful. I&#39;m pretty sure this is a common experience, and why not? You&#39;re in love, at the biggest party you&#39;ve ever thrown and, most importantly, you&#39;ve spent a lot of time and effort on looking your best. So you do. But let&#39;s get real here -- who has the money to spend on something as frivolous as beauty? </p>\n\n<p>What if I told you that <em>you </em>could spoil yourself as extravagantly as any bride -- guilt free? It&#39;s a gift from the nice people at L&#39;Bel!</p>\n\n<p>Here&#39;s your chance to treat yourself with <strong>$500 worth of L&#39;Bel products custom selected just for you</strong>. </p>\n\n<p><strong>To enter, leave me a comment below and <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">tell me at what moment in your life you felt the most beautiful</span> - or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. The contest will begins now and will end on <em>January 8, 2010</em>. Way to start the year with a bang!</strong></p>\n\n<p>Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct or I can&#39;t hook you up with your $500 worth of products! </p>\n\n<p><em><strong>Rules:</strong><br /></em> </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>No duplicate comments. <br /></em></li>\n<li><em>You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments. <br /></em></li>\n<li><em>You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments. <br /></em></li>\n<li><em>This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older <br /></em></li>\n<li><em>Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail. <br /></em></li>\n<li><em>You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected. <br /></em></li>\n<li><em>Please see the <a href=\"http://www.blogher.com/rules-lbel-3/\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">official rules.</a></em></li>\n</ul>\nBe sure to go to the <a href=\"http://www.blogher.com/review-lbel?Reviewer3\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">BlogHer.com special offers page</a> to read what other reviewers thought about the products and for 8 (!) additional chances to win. Learn more about L&#39;Bel by visiting their <a href=\"http://virtualshop.lbel.com/\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Official site</a> and you can follow them on Twitter <a href=\"http://twitter.com/lbelparis\">@lbelparis</a>. <em><br /></em>\n','Let Me Introduce You to L\'Bel','\n','publish','closed','open','','let-me-introduce-you-to-lbel','','','2009-12-11 15:50:56','2009-12-11 15:50:56','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=215',0,'post','',59),(216,1,'2009-12-11 15:25:41','2009-12-11 15:25:41','<p>How does starting 2010 with $500 worth of brand new cosmetics sound? Pretty awesome right? <a href=\"http://bit.ly/7Yn2tr\">All you have to do is go here and tell me at what moment in your life you felt the most beautiful. <br /></a></p><p>Go on. It&#39;s easy!</p>\n','Everyday Treats Giveaway: $500 in Make Up and Skincare products from L\'Bel Paris','\n','publish','closed','open','','everyday-treats-giveaway-500-in-make-up-and-skincare-products-from-lbel-paris','','','2009-12-11 15:25:41','2009-12-11 15:25:41','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=216',0,'post','',0),(217,1,'2009-12-02 13:51:37','2009-12-02 13:51:37','<p>It&#39;s been seven weeks and we&#39;re doing fine. It&#39;s really a shame that I don&#39;t like posting pictures on my blog so that I can provide photographic evidence but we&#39;re all doing well and the littlest baby is thriving. He is a smiling little bundle of joy (and baby acne, poor thing) and also a heavy little pudge ball. Best part? He&#39;s a fantastic sleeper -- I finally have a baby that likes to sleep in!</p><p>(Maybe I shouldn&#39;t have said that. DON&#39;T JINX IT! SHHH!)</p><p>(Yes, I&#39;m a bit of a hormonal mess on occasion, but birthing a baby does that to people sometimes.) </p><p>This week was meant to mark our triumphant return to life -- not blogging, but my real life. Middle boy&#39;s signed up for a music class, we had a semi full social schedule in the works, and the best part? It still hasn&#39;t snowed. It was going to be perfect! We would be outside and everything!</p><p>Then real life kicked me in ass. Or rather the nose. We&#39;re battling colds, and the one who is worse off is my poor middle child who has been stuck at home with me for just about seven weeks. The oldest has preschool, and let me tell you, he is ready to leave the house as soon as he wakes up in the morning. My middle boy? He spends most of his days telling me that I&#39;m boring. I can&#39;t blame him; watching me nurse and sniffle can&#39;t be THAT exciting. I just hope he feels better soon so he can have his life back. </p><p>Life is just unfair like that sometimes, you know?</p><p></p>\n','Seven Weeks','\n','publish','open','open','','seven-weeks','','','2009-12-02 13:51:37','2009-12-02 13:51:37','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=217',0,'post','',1),(218,1,'2009-11-05 09:45:37','2009-11-05 09:45:37','<p><object height=\"344\" width=\"425\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/aBkVV9xxCHE&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;\" /><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" /><param name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\" /><embed allowfullscreen=\"true\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" height=\"344\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/aBkVV9xxCHE&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"425\" /></object></p>\n\n<p>So, to answer the question everyone keeps asking me: How am I doing?</p><p>Fine. Just fine. </p><p>Which doesn&#39;t mean that life with three kids isn&#39;t a roller coaster, and that I&#39;m not barely hanging on some days, while other days I&#39;m just coasting along, enjoying the ride. </p><p>It&#39;s...a lot. The three kids part. Kind of shocking, actually.&#0160;</p><p>And then it&#39;s not.&#0160;</p><p>I&#39;m extremely lucky - my husband is a class-A father and partner, most of my family has come to visit and help out, even though they live in Miami and I&#39;m up here in Boston - and my friends have been nothing short of amazing. No really, they&#39;re Amazing: Coming over with food and drinks (of the adult variety) and playing with my kids and have been nothing if not patient and wonderful, and won&#39;t you believe it! I&#39;ve run out of thank you notes because people have been too kind. Even people I hardly know. </p><p>THAT my friends, is luck. And I appreciate it more than I could ever express, even though I&#39;m supposed to be a writer. </p><p>But! The recovery from this birth has been tougher on me in so many ways. Physically (as the nurse so kindly reminded me &quot;you&#39;ve stretched your insides as far as they can take, for a third time, things won&#39;t be the same for a long time, if ever&quot;) and emotionally. I can actually feel the hormonal changes - my temperature goes up and down, I want to see people and then I don&#39;t. I cry. I laugh. I sit in silence. I lose my patience. I&#39;m at peace. I won&#39;t shut up.</p><p>I know it&#39;s all normal. But that doesn&#39;t mean it doesn&#39;t take some getting used to. </p><p>Exhibit A of my roller coaster life: I saw a pregnant woman yesterday, AND I WAS JEALOUS OF HER. Me! Who wouldn&#39;t shut up about my big fat pregnancy and how ready I was to give birth. (Don&#39;t believe me? Reference, oh, every post on this site since about May or something.)</p><p>Exhibit B: Baby names. I&#39;m second guessing our choice of name. Not because we don&#39;t love the name, but because random people can&#39;t say Matthias. (It&#39;s Ma-TEE-as!) I love the name. <a href=\"http://www.babynamewizard.com/archives/2009/10/the-global-hit-name-you-havent-noticed\">It&#39;s a very popular name...internationally</a>. I guess it&#39;s not so much here. Oops! We know so many Matthiases, but I guess my son will be the first for many of our US friends. That makes me sad some days. Other days, I&#39;m all &quot;tough noogies folks!&quot; - our family is an international family (our children have both US and EU citizenship) and it&#39;s not like we&#39;re going to name our boys Bob* to make things easier for strangers. </p><p>(Not that there&#39;s anything wrong with Bob. You know what I mean.) </p><p>(Oh, let&#39;s face it...people are going to call him Matt. Sigh.)</p><p>ANYWAYS! The boys need me. Gotta go. Stay well. I promise to do the same.</p>\n','Rollercoaster...','\n','publish','open','open','','rollercoaster','','','2009-11-05 09:45:37','2009-11-05 09:45:37','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=218',0,'post','',6),(219,1,'2009-10-26 13:18:45','2009-10-26 13:18:45','<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/4033164942/\" title=\"Matthias by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"Matthias\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce126970b\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce126970b-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p>Meet Matthias. (His name is the Spanish/German version of Matthew. It&#39;s pronounced Ma-TEE-us.)</p><p>He&#39;s already 14 days old, but he was only an hour old when I took this picture.</p><p>He was born at 9:05 AM on October 12. It seems like he&#39;s been a part of our family all along. Isn&#39;t it funny how that works out?</p><p>Matthias has been a model baby so far. I&#39;m exhausted, of course, but I can&#39;t really blame it on sleep deprivation - at least not yet. He&#39;s dozing peacefully in this picture, but he was born with his eyes wide open, and he&#39;s always looking around - I think he can&#39;t wait to join his very, very, VERY active brothers. </p><p>I haven&#39;t figured out the whole &quot;life with three boys&quot; thing - how will I get to the grocery store? What if they all want to ride in the stroller? WHAT THEN? But I guess I&#39;ll figure it out as I go along. </p><p>For now, we&#39;re enjoying being spoiled by friends and family. We&#39;re very grateful.&#0160;</p><p>In other news, I looked down today and you won&#39;t believe what I saw...MY TOES! (It&#39;s been a while.) </p><p></p>\n','Matthias!','\n','publish','open','open','','matthias','','','2009-10-26 13:18:45','2009-10-26 13:18:45','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=219',0,'post','',13),(220,1,'2009-10-06 15:46:49','2009-10-06 15:46:49','<p>No, really.&#0160; I&#39;m STILL pregnant. I know you&#39;ve heard this one before, but I&#39;ve been pregnant since January, and since it is now October, you will forgive me for being a bit repetitive. </p><p>I&#39;m scheduled for an induction, but that&#39;s still a week away. I&#39;m scheduled for a battery of tests, but those won&#39;t happen until the weekend. I&#39;m starting to think that my OBGYN is running some sort of evil experiment where she is testing just how much pregnancy a female body can handle. My bones hurt, that&#39;s how heavy this belly is. My back spasms and contractions are so bad at times that we went into the hospital AGAIN...and were promptly sent home with the diagnosis of false labor. But this time they were nice enough to give me a sleeping pill because they couldn&#39;t figure out how I was going to get any rest with those contractions. </p><p>That was three days ago. I have nothing else to say about that.</p>\n','I\'m the Rip Van Winkle of Pregnant Women','\n','publish','open','open','','im-the-rip-van-winkle-of-pregnant-women','','','2009-10-06 15:46:49','2009-10-06 15:46:49','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=220',0,'post','',13),(221,1,'2009-10-01 20:34:13','2009-10-01 20:34:13','<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3973330792/\" title=\"October 1 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"October 1\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39cb7970c\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39cb7970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p>And just like that, it&#39;s October.</p><p>The pumpkins are out. The spiders are in (I found one inside the baby&#39;s carseat -- eek!). It&#39;s chilly. Summer came very late, but fall is coming right on time. </p><p>Of course, this baby is taking his sweet time. Nothing to report there, other than the usual. I&#39;m exhausted.</p><p>And because I know how lucky I am, I&#39;ll just leave it at that. I&#39;m tired. And waiting. And doing my best to enjoy fall while I can.</p>\n','October 1','\n','publish','open','open','','october-1','','','2009-10-01 20:34:13','2009-10-01 20:34:13','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=221',0,'post','',0),(222,1,'2009-09-21 16:19:58','2009-09-21 16:19:58','<p>How is it possible that today is September 21? And that the last time I posted was September 9th? If this was a job I&#39;d be FIRED by now. Good thing I&#39;m the boss and I play favorites. Shameless!</p><p>So, nothing new to report. I&#39;m inching closer to my due date with nothing to show for it other than my HUGE belly, which causes a commotion so great every time we go out in public that my mild-mannered mother has started growling at strangers. Seriously. I can&#39;t walk out in public without having every third person (male or female, young or old) try to engage me in conversation. Add to that the fact that I have two other children, and that I can&#39;t walk anymore -- what I do is waddle, in the strictest sense of the word, waddle, and I&#39;m not exaggerating for once, it&#39;s the God Honest Truth -- and well, any errand takes me three times as long as it normally would, which I guess is great preparation for the third child, but which is also is getting old fast. </p><p>The only semi-interesting thing to happen is that we had a false alarm yesterday -- I thought my water had broken, but I wasn&#39;t sure -- and I was having contractions, and they weren&#39;t all that bad, but I called the Dr. just in case, and they sent me to the hospital, just in case. Everything went so smoothly and everyone was so cheerful (and let&#39;s face it, I&#39;m so READY) that I was just hoping that it would be the day. It was so dreamy, in fact, that the nurse and doctor who was on duty (a man who I&#39;d never seen before in my life) both said that they hoped today would be the day because we seemed like such nice a nice couple. </p><p>(In hindsight, it CLEARLY wasn&#39;t time -- who is pleasant when giving birth? But it would have been nice.)</p><p>Anyways, I&#39;ll spare you the details, but once it was finally determined that my bag of waters was still intact and we were all standing around not sure what to do next, I said the only thing that came to mind: </p><p>&quot;My water never breaks.&quot;</p><p>Which, of course, was only funny to my husband and me. </p><p>Then we went out for a late lunch at Petit Robert, where we sat outside and pretended we were in Paris. I had a Croque Madame and ice water and my husband had some pork and wine. We argued over baby names and flipped the pages of the same baby name book we&#39;ve used in all three pregnancies. We came up with the most ridiculous names we could. We got to really have fun with this baby.</p><p>Not a bad way to spend a Sunday, now that I think about it.<br /> </p><p></p><p></p>\n','The One Where I Get To Quote Betty Draper','\n','publish','open','open','','the-one-where-i-get-to-quote-betty-draper','','','2009-09-21 16:19:58','2009-09-21 16:19:58','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=222',0,'post','',1),(223,1,'2009-09-09 18:20:00','2009-09-09 18:20:00','<em><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3864248707/\" style=\"float: left;\" title=\"Photo 68 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"Photo 68\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39c51970c\" height=\"220\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39c51970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"margin: 11px;\" title=\"Photo 68\" width=\"240\" /></a>This is a compensated review from BlogHer and L&#39;Oréal Paris - but\nthe compensation isn&#39;t why I agreed to review the Color of Hope\ncollection. No, really. Pinky swear!<br /></em><p><em>Ten years ago, I\nwas a product manager at L’Oréal and that, I admit, is part of the\nreason why I wanted to be a part of this program. Not because I have a\nsoft spot in my heart for the company (which I do - it was a fabulous\nplace to work) but because I made some of my best friends while working\nthere. <br /></em></p>\n\n<p><em>One of my closest friends while at L’Oréal is the reason I’m participating in this program. </em></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2009/09/color-of-hope.html\">READ THE REST OF THIS POST HERE...</a><br /><em></em></p>\n','Everyday Treats: Color of Hope','\n','publish','open','open','','everyday-treats-color-of-hope','','','2009-09-09 18:20:00','2009-09-09 18:20:00','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=223',0,'post','',0),(224,1,'2009-09-07 09:47:18','2009-09-07 09:47:18','<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a5a9ad4a970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\"><img alt=\"IMG_0329\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a5a9ad4a970c  at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93cdf98970b\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93cdf98970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;\" title=\"IMG_0329\" /></a> Thing is, when I started writing on the internet I made a conscious decision to make this site about myself and nobody else. I started writing online when I found myself home with my first baby, not quite alone but needing an outlet that would leave more of a permanent record than a phone call or conversation. So I made it about me. Sure, I mention other people -- especially my children -- when it&#39;s relevant, it&#39;s not like I live in a vacuum, but I choose to tell MY stories. Maybe it&#39;s selfish, maybe it&#39;s not authentic. I keep reading that a true artist is supposed to mine the lives of the people in their life, but in this place? I choose not to. </p><p>I&#39;m 100% fine with that. </p><p>Problem is, sometimes I have no stories to tell. The past few weeks are a perfect example of that. I&#39;ve been majorly (and I mean MAJORLY) pregnant, but I don&#39;t have any of the first time mom anxieties to share with you. This is my third pregnancy after all. It&#39;s not as much fun to tell you about rearranging the same baby boy clothes I&#39;ve seen twice before. I guess we could buy new clothes, but really what&#39;s the point? I know better by now. </p><p>Nesting has also been different this time around. My house is pretty clean (thank goodness), so there are no middle-of-the-night bathroom tile scrubbing episodes to share. The nursery is ready, having just been vacated last week (when my two year-old figured out how to do a flip out of the crib into the extra bed in the nursery -- once my heart stopped palpitating wildly I moved on to training him to sleep in his big boy bed, which is no small feat, but something I&#39;m too tired to talk about right now.) I&#39;d wash the sheets, but the baby will be in a bassinet in our room for the first few weeks anyways, so what&#39;s the rush?</p><p>The one thing that you could call &quot;nesting&quot; is that once my mom arrived to hang out with us and help us with the baby, I was finally able to tackle all the yard work that has been killing me all summer. I took a huge pair of clippers to our yew hedge, and with the help of my mom trimmed those suckers down. That felt good. Well, it felt good spiritually, but physically it killed my back. Unfortunately, it did nothing to accelerate labor. </p><p>Sigh.</p><p><em>(This image is from June. The belly is at least twice as big by now. And growing.)</em></p>\n','Still pregnant. What else is new?','\n','publish','open','open','','still-pregnant-what-else-is-new','','','2009-09-07 09:47:18','2009-09-07 09:47:18','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=224',0,'post','',7),(225,1,'2009-09-06 22:00:40','2009-09-06 22:00:40','<em>This is a compensated review from BlogHer and L\'Oréal Paris - but the compensation isn\'t why I agreed to review the Color of Hope collection. No, really. Pinky swear!<br></em><p><em>Ten years ago, I was a product manager at L’Oréal and that, I admit, is part of the reason why I wanted to be a part of this program. Not because I have a soft spot in my heart for the company (which I do - it was a fabulous place to work) but because I made some of my best friends while working there. <br></em></p>\n\n<p><em>One of my closest friends while at L’Oréal is the reason I’m participating in this program. </em></p><em>She fell ill while on a business trip to Colombia. So ill they had to operate immediately. They found out that what she had was ovarian cancer. We were both in our early twenties at the time. I knew nothing about ovarian cancer, and I was scared. But my friend fought through chemo and radiation and with her incredible strength she not only survived, she kicked ovarian cancer’s ass. <br></em><p><em>She’s now the mother of a beautiful little girl who is her spitting image. She works full-time. She has a wonderful life. She’s proof that <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">ovarian cancer can be beaten</span>. Which is why I know that the money L\'Oréal is raising for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF) is money very well spent. </em></p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sure, the L\'Oréal Paris Color of Hope Cosmetics Bag is a good deal ($50 worth of products for $29 AND $5 of those dollars go directly to the OCRF) and has four products in shades that promise to be flattering to everyone. </p>\n\n<p>But are they REALLY flattering? Let\'s find out!</p>\n\n<p>First, I tried the <em>Colour Riche</em> lipstick in <em>Color of Hope</em> - and I LOVED it. The color is indeed flattering (my skin has yellow undertones and I usually have a hard time finding non-beige lipsticks that work) but the texture is what sold me, so light and moisturizing it was a real pleasure to wear. Seriously, if I had to choose one item in the collection to buy this would be it. </p>\n\n<p>The Cosmetics Bag comes with two eyeshadow quads: <em>Bouquet of Strength </em>(shades of teal) and <em>Petals of Promise</em> (mauves). I went with the <em>Bouquet of Strength</em> quad because I haven\'t been getting much sleep lately (ah, the pleasures of the ninth month of pregnancy!) and thought mauve shadow would just bring out my bloodshot eyes. I also wanted to know if I could pull off teal shadow. I mean, why not?</p>\n\n<p>The result was surprisingly wearable:</p>\n\n<p></p>\n\n<p></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3863872562/\" style=\"float: left;\" title=\"Photo 121 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img  alt=\"Photo 121\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/3863872562_3f1c1a99d5_m.jpg\" style=\"margin: 5px;\" title=\"Photo 121\" height=\"240\" width=\"209\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>I used a light hand on purpose, but the shadow has deep color pigments and it would make an excellent kit for an evening smoky eye. I was on my way to the grocery store and just wanted an everyday look. This was it.</p>\n\n<p>I then layered some <em>Infallible Never Fail</em> Lipgloss on top of the <em>Colour Riche</em> lipstick. I\'ve been losing interest in gloss lately because I end up eating most of it, but this did last for a couple of hours -- no small feat for me.&nbsp;</p>\n\n<p></p>\n\n<p></p>\n\n<p></p>\n\n<p></p>\n\n<p>The next day I was inspired to try the dreaded mauve shadow, and you know what? I was pleasantly surprised:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3864248707/\" style=\"float: left;\" title=\"Photo 68 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img  alt=\"Photo 68\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/3864248707_b143ba9d95_m.jpg\" style=\"margin: 5px;\" title=\"Photo 68\" height=\"220\" width=\"240\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>In this photo, I\'m wearing the <em>Petals of Promise</em> eyeshadow quad and the <em>Colour Riche </em>lipstick without the gloss on top. I think I like it better that way, but you knew that already. </p>\n\n<p>I\'d say the quality of the products is on par with department store makeup (especially the lipstick! Have I mentioned that?) and the colors are pretty foolproof. The cosmetics bag is a great deal if you want to stock up on new makeup and support a great cause at the same time. </p>\n\n<em><strong>The L’Oréal Paris Color of Hope Cosmetic bag will be available for purchase beginning in September 2009. Purchases can be made online via <a href=\"http://www.lorealcolorofhope.com\">www.lorealcolorofhope.com</a> while supplies last. L’Oréal Paris will donate $5 from each cosmetic bag purchased to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF).<a href=\"http://www.blogher.com/loreal-color-hope?\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Check out BlogHer\'s special offer page for more information.</a>\n</strong></em>\n\n\n<a href=\"http://oascentral.blogher.org/RealMedia/ads/click_nx.ads/blogher.org/loreal_review_1/1%5BrandomNo%5D@x11\" target=\"_blank\"> <img  src=\"http://oascentral.blogher.org/RealMedia/ads/adstream_nx.ads/blogher.org/loreal_review_1/1%5BrandomNo%5D@x11\" border=\"0\" /> </a>\n','L\'Oreal Color Of Hope','\n','publish','open','open','','color-of-hope','','','2009-09-06 22:00:40','2009-09-06 22:00:40','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=225',0,'post','',5),(226,1,'2009-08-14 07:41:00','2009-08-14 07:41:00','<p>I had the opportunity to attend a media event for Super WHY! a couple of (or maybe three) weeks ago and I have been remiss in telling you all about it. I don&#39;t know why, because we&#39;re huge PBS and WGBH fans at this house, as you can probably tell by the picture below:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3815880650/\" style=\"float: left;\" title=\"diary.blogs.jpg by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"diary.blogs.jpg\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce160970b\" height=\"240\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce160970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"margin: 20px;\" title=\"diary.blogs.jpg\" width=\"180\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>One thing I can&#39;t claim to be is a fan of children&#39;s television. Don&#39;t get me wrong, my kids watch TV -- how else would I get dinner on the table? </p><p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2009/08/super-why.html\">Click here to read the rest of this entry...</a></p><p></p>\n','Everyday Treats: Super WHY!','\n','publish','open','open','','everyday-treats-super-why','','','2009-08-14 07:41:00','2009-08-14 07:41:00','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=226',0,'post','',0),(227,1,'2009-08-12 16:35:35','2009-08-12 16:35:35','<p>I had the opportunity to attend a media event for Super WHY! a couple of (or maybe three) weeks ago and I have been remiss in telling you all about it. I don&#39;t know why, because we&#39;re huge PBS and WGBH fans at this house, as you can probably tell by the picture below:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3815880650/\" style=\"float: left;\" title=\"diary.blogs.jpg by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"diary.blogs.jpg\" height=\"240\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/3815880650_849ef3b6aa_m.jpg\" style=\"margin: 20px;\" title=\"diary.blogs.jpg\" width=\"180\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>One thing I can&#39;t claim to be is a fan of children&#39;s television. Don&#39;t get me wrong, my kids watch TV -- how else would I get dinner on the table? -- but I can&#39;t really claim to be the type of mom that sits down and watches kid&#39;s programming. I just don&#39;t. Instead I trust shows that are recommended by friends and use the 30 minute stretches of peace and quiet as wisely as possible. </p>\n\n<p>I had a lot to learn, as you can imagine.</p>\n\n<p>The highlight of the event for me was meeting Angela Santomero, the creator of Super WHY! and Blue&#39;s Clues (<a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/the_diary_of_a_reluctant_/2007/09/hey-joe.html\">remember when my son got to meet Joe?</a>) Her passion for the science behind how children learn is contagious, and I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of work that goes into each aspect of the show. Suffice it to say that everything that happens on the show happens for a reason -- and that reason is to build on the natural love of words and stories that children are born with. </p>\n\n<p>(Geeky writer aside: Did you know that along with the ABCs and phonics, Super WHY! also teaches kids that they have the power to change a story? That&#39;s my favorite part!)</p>\n\n<p>We were sent home with a variety of materials to build on the educational lessons from the show -- <a href=\"http://www.pbs.org/parents/childrenandmedia/learningwithmedia/superwhy.html\">you can download the same materials here</a>. But I couldn&#39;t leave until I asked them the one question that I was dying to ask from the moment I heard about the great work they&#39;re doing with the Super WHY! camps and the fact the only limiting factor for them is money.</p>\n\n<p>I grabbed Leslie Rotenberg, the Senior VP of Children&#39;s Media at PBS and asked her if there was a way for us to support children&#39;s programming directly. Not that Yanni and Antiques Roadshow aren&#39;t worthy of my support of course, but I want all of my money to go to children&#39;s programming if that&#39;s at all possible. </p>\n\n<p>Guess what? It can! <a href=\"http://www.wgbh.org/support/directedGifts_ChildrensEducationalMedia.cfm\">Click here to support Children&#39;s Programming directly</a>, if you so wish.</p>\n\n<p></p>\n','Super WHY!','\n','publish','open','open','','super-why','','','2009-08-12 16:35:35','2009-08-12 16:35:35','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=227',0,'post','',0),(228,1,'2009-08-12 13:39:13','2009-08-12 13:39:13','<p>I was in the shower the other morning trying to wake myself up enough to make some coffee when I heard what I thought was the hum of a ride-on lawnmower. Then I realized it was Sunday -- the one day out of the week that the landscaping trucks don&#39;t descend on our street so it couldn&#39;t possibly be that -- but it was early and all I could come up with was &quot;huh?&quot;</p><p>(Aside: Why don&#39;t the neighbors agree to have all yard work done on the same day? Must every outdoor activity be marred with the sound of landscaping crews? We have like 3 weeks of summer left - or rather, summer is already over, if the abundance of scarecrows and pumpkins at the Christmas Tree Shop is any indication - so perhaps this is a project for another day.)</p><p>Anyways, the mysterious noise. It was a rhythmic sound, tinny and persistent, not really the kind of thing that should cause any alarm, but it was so out of place that I actually turned off the water to get a better listen.</p><p>That&#39;s when I freaked the hell out, because once the water stopped I realized that the vibrating sound was coming from the pipes. The shower head and pipes, to be exact. The pipes were shaking, even after the water was turned off. </p><p>Visions of possible electrocution danced through my head. A plumbing disaster was surely imminent, and here I was soaking wet with a head full of soap. </p><p>&quot;HOOOOONEEEEEEY!&quot;</p><p>&quot;What?&quot;</p><p>&quot;Come! Take a look at the shower!&quot;</p><p>&quot;Why?&quot;</p><p>&quot;JUST COME!&quot;</p><p>My husband came in, stopped for a minute, and asked me if I heard that strange noise. </p><p>&quot;Of course I hear it and I don&#39;t know what it is...OMG, we need to call a plumber..it&#39;s Sunday morning the bill is going to be huge!&quot;</p><p>A plumbing mystery is a fantastic way to start a relaxing Sunday morning, in case you can&#39;t tell.</p><p>We could only stand at the shower door for so long. We had to do something. My husband unscrewed the shower head but the mysterious noise raged on.</p><p>&quot;Should I call a plumber?&quot;</p><p>&quot;Not yet.&quot;</p><p>&quot;What if the pipes are about to explode?&quot;</p><p>(I&#39;m nothing if not good under pressure.)</p><p>&quot;No.&quot;</p><p>&quot;OK, let me take out the shower caddy so you can play around, but I&#39;m going downstairs and calling a plumber. This is too serious to mess around with.&quot;</p><p>&quot;We don&#39;t even know what &#39;this&#39; is. How do you know it&#39;s serious?&quot;</p><p>I ignored him and slipped the shower caddy from the pipe..thing..you know, that thing that comes out of the wall and connects to the shower? And that&#39;s when the mystery noise stopped. </p><p>Awesome -- until I realized that the shower caddy in my hands was vibrating.</p><p>&quot;Oh. Ooooh!&quot;</p><p>Apparently, I had accidentally turned a vibrating object on (it&#39;s not what you think)* when I put a bottle of conditioner on top of it.</p><p>Oops. </p><p>*People! <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Gillette-Venus-Vibrance-Soothing-Vibrations/dp/B0009W7MD2\">It was this</a>. I TOLD YOU it&#39;s not what you think. </p><p>(Perverts.)</p><p></p><p></p>\n','A Plumbing Mystery','\n','publish','open','open','','a-plumbing-mystery','','','2009-08-12 13:39:13','2009-08-12 13:39:13','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=228',0,'post','',6),(229,1,'2009-08-10 11:56:00','2009-08-10 11:56:00','<p>Notice anything different?</p>\n\n<p>I spent a few hours procrastinating yesterday and cleaned up things around here. It&#39;s still a work in progress, but I&#39;m quite happy with the results so far - everything is clean and neat -unlike my actual house.</p>\n\n<p>I did my own (very) simple banner - based on an illustration by the very talented <a href=\"http://almaloveland.com/\">Alma Loveland</a>, who made the banner for my neglected style site. (I have plans to relaunch soonish.) Alma has been nothing but gracious and professional and I highly recommend her work.</p>\n\n<p>After I did the banner I decided to clean up my sidebar a bit. I settled on buttons instead of word links to help people subscribe to the blog and find my Twitter stream. I spent a good amount of time looking for just the right buttons (procrastination is an art I&#39;ve mastered, my friends) and of course I didn&#39;t find anything suitable. So I made my own, with the help of generous souls who have created illustrations and distributed them freely online. </p>\n\n<p>I don&#39;t steal words or pictures from the internet which, sadly, makes me an anomaly, but I do things old-school. I give credit where credit&#39;s due. I also want to pay it forward, so I thought I&#39;d share my buttons with anyone who wants them. Just be sure to give credit, OK?</p>\n\n<p>Enjoy!</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>My RSS button is adapted from the <a href=\"http://comingupforair.net/2008/01/rss-icons/\">Ojingogo RSS icon</a> - Isn&#39;t she adorable? I added some text, mostly to make myself laugh (&quot;take me to your reader...&quot; Ha! I crack myself up!) There are two versions to choose from, and I&#39;ve included the code to make things easier for you. Just be sure to replace the words ADDYOURFEEDHERE with your feed address (keep the quotation marks) and you&#39;ll be all set!</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n<a href=\"http://feeds.feedburner.com/everydaytreats\"><img class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39a0a970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39a0a970c.png\" /></a><br /><a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/the_diary_of_a_reluctant_/2009/08/free-rss-twitter-buttons-code.html\">Get Button</a><br /><br /><textarea cols=\"40\" name=\"textarea\" rows=\"4\" wrap=\"VIRTUAL\">&lt;a href=&quot;ADDYOURFEEDHERE&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj146/roxsar/RSS.png&quot;/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://diary.blogs.com/the_diary_of_a_reluctant_/2009/08/free-rss-twitter-buttons-code.html&quot;&gt;Get Button&lt;/a&gt;</textarea>\n\n\n<br /><br /><br />\n\n\n<a href=\"http://feeds.feedburner.com/Miguelina\"><img class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39a17970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39a17970c-pi.png\" /></a><br /><a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/the_diary_of_a_reluctant_/2009/08/free-rss-twitter-buttons-code.html\">Get Button</a><br /><br />\n<textarea cols=\"40\" name=\"textarea\" rows=\"4\" wrap=\"VIRTUAL\">&lt;a href=&quot;ADDYOURFEEDHERE&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj146/roxsar/takemerss.png&quot;/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://diary.blogs.com/the_diary_of_a_reluctant_/2009/08/free-rss-twitter-buttons-code.html&quot;&gt;Get Button&lt;/a&gt;</textarea>\n\n<br /><br /><ul>\n<li>My simple Twitter button is adapted from the free image <a href=\"http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/100-remarkably-beautiful-twitter-icons-and-buttons/\">found here</a> - I simply changed the color and font to suit me better. Replace YOURTWITTERNAME with, well, your twitter name, and the button should link to your Twitter stream.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<a href=\"http://twitter.com/miguelina\"><img class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39a32970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39a32970c-pi.png\" /></a><br /><a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/the_diary_of_a_reluctant_/2009/08/free-rss-twitter-buttons-code.html\">Get Button</a><br /><br />\n\n<textarea cols=\"40\" name=\"textarea\" rows=\"4\" wrap=\"VIRTUAL\">&lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/YOURTWITTERNAME&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj146/roxsar/Twitter.png&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://diary.blogs.com/the_diary_of_a_reluctant_/2009/08/free-rss-twitter-buttons-code.html&quot;&gt;Get Button&lt;/a&gt;</textarea>\n','Illustration Credits','\n','publish','open','open','','illustration-credits','','\nhttp://comingupforair.net/2008/01/rss-icons/','2011-02-07 17:56:09','2011-02-07 17:56:09','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=229',0,'post','',8),(230,1,'2009-08-03 14:24:17','2009-08-03 14:24:17','<p>I&#39;ve always lived near the beach, which means that I pretty much took sand, warm water and palm trees for granted. Until I moved to New England, that is. Now, in this land of the eternal winter, I crave nothing more than a sipping a mojito while listening to steel drums, or in a pinch, Jimmy Buffett. Because, as any tropical beach bum will happily tell you, kitsch is an important part of the beach experience.</p>\n\n<p></p>\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3785084475/\" title=\"DSC_0110.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0110.JPG\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39921970c\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39921970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>Massachusetts has its beaches - Nantucket and the Vineyard, and of course Cape Cod - but we&#39;ve always escaped to Miami to get our beach fix. We felt the beaches here were too boring (there are no palm trees to be seen!), the dining too full of fried foods, the cost too exorbitant, and the weather too unpredictable to really make for an enjoyable beach vacation. I wanted my boys to have the memories that I had - of playing in the turquoise water, finding sand dollars and ducking jellyfish frying on the sand, of drinking water straight from coconuts. But I&#39;m too pregnant to even consider going to Miami in the summer, and we never quite got our act together to fly anywhere so we were forced to plan a beach vacation here or make do with the sprinklers. </p>\n\n<p>We booked a last-minute vacation and drove down Rt. 3. And then a funny thing happened: We fell in love with the Cape.</p>\n\n<p></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3785868922/\" title=\"DSC_0170.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0170.JPG\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa3993e970c\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa3993e970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>The boys didn&#39;t see any sea horses or dolphins, but they hunted for crabs of the hermit and not-so-hermit variety.</p><p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3785056633/\" title=\"DSC_0178.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0178.JPG\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39979970c\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39979970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p>Instead of lying on hammocks strung between palm trees, we made our way to the beach on boardwalks over dunes and lush vegetation.</p><p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3785049557/\" title=\"DSC_0188.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0188.JPG\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa3999a970c\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa3999a970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p>We were never guaranteed full sun, but it didn&#39;t matter to the boys. They still had fun digging holes that would get them &quot;all the way to Australia!&quot;</p>\n<p></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3785081159/\" title=\"DSC_0125.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0125.JPG\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa399b1970c\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa399b1970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"></span><p>Instead of bougainvillea, there were beautiful blue hydrangeas everywhere.</p>\n\n<p></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3785076107/\" title=\"DSC_0150.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0150.JPG\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa399ca970c\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa399ca970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"DSC_0150.JPG\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p>We were surprised to show up at the beach one day during low tide and find that the waters had receded past the sea grass, making the beach twice as big and allowing the boys a peek at what lives under the beach rocks. </p><p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3785862454/\" title=\"DSC_0187.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0187.JPG\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa399fa970c\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa399fa970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p>\n<p>As I sat on my beach chair, enjoying the cool (yes, cool!) breeze and watching my boys splash away in the distance I realized that their childhood memories of the beach will be very different from mine. </p><p>That they will remember gray cottages and charming town main streets instead of colorful beach huts and endless miles of warm tropical sand. </p><p>That they will probably learn to appreciate fried clams instead of stone crabs.</p><p>I&#39;m OK with that. Because while the kitsch may be different up here, the relaxed vibe is the same. </p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p></p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3785049557/\" title=\"DSC_0188.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"></a>\n<p></p>\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3785854334/\" title=\"DSC_0175.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0175.JPG\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39a12970c\" height=\"500\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39a12970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"334\" /></a></p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"></span>And that is what summer is all about.\n\n<p></p>\n\n<p></p>\n\n<p></p>\n','The Cape','\n','publish','open','open','','the-cape','','','2009-08-03 14:24:17','2009-08-03 14:24:17','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=230',0,'post','',5),(231,1,'2009-07-26 16:12:33','2009-07-26 16:12:33','<p>&quot;This is your <em>third</em> pregnancy? You don&#39;t look like you&#39;re old enough to vote!&quot; <em>(Thank you butcher man. Thank you very much.)</em></p><p>&quot;Do you think the baby can feel my kisses? I like kissing the baby.&quot; <em>(From big brother, say it with me: Awww...)</em></p><p>&quot;Call the baby Winnie...Winnie the Pooh-pooh head! HA HA HA!&quot; <em>(From big brother as well. He&#39;s taking it well, obviously.)</em></p><p>Grocery store manager as he calls for an employee: &quot;Open a lane for this lady, we don&#39;t want her to have this baby here!&quot; Then he winked at me. <em>(The wink? It didn&#39;t help. But I got to skip the line, suckers!)</em></p><p>&quot;Oh my God. You look like you&#39;re just ready to pop! When are you due? Any minute, huh?&quot; <br />&quot;October.&quot;<br />&quot;Um, well, you look woooonderful!&quot; <em>(Too many strangers to count. Why would you ask a stranger her due date?)</em></p><p><em>Random lady:</em> &quot;I&#39;m a little psychic. Your fourth child will be a girl<em>.&quot;<br />Me:</em> &quot;Ha ha haaaa! Fourth child! That&#39;s funny!&quot;<br /><em>Random lady (looking hurt):</em> &quot;But I can feel your daughter! She&#39;s waiting for you in heaven right now.&quot;<br /><em>Me:</em> &quot;FOURTH child! Haaaa...good one.&quot;</p><p>&quot;You&#39;re having ANOTHER boy? Poor you.&quot; <em>(Rot in hell, asshole.)</em></p><p>&quot;I guess you were trying for a girl and failed!&quot; <em>(Seriously: What. The. Hell. Is. Wrong. With. People?)</em></p><p>And my favorite comment of all, because I like to end on a positive note:</p><p>&quot;You can&#39;t have enough men loving you! Well done!&quot;</p><p>Ain&#39;t that the truth.</p>\n','Things People Have Said to Me This Pregnancy, In Order of Decreasing Awesomeness','\n','publish','open','open','','things-people-have-said-to-me-this-pregnancy-in-order-of-decreasing-awesomeness','','','2009-07-26 16:12:33','2009-07-26 16:12:33','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=231',0,'post','',14),(232,1,'2009-07-23 13:11:29','2009-07-23 13:11:29','&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>ABOUT THE WRITER</strong>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/IMG_3417.jpg\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-4214 alignleft\" title=\"IMG_3417\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/IMG_3417-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\nMy name is Roxanna. I believe that beauty is in the details and that every day is a gift.\r\n<div>\r\n\r\nI publish <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Everyday Treats</a>, a blog about living well every day, and <a href=\"http://frogandsnail.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Frog &amp; Snail</a>, a lifestyle blog for parents of boys.\r\n\r\nI\'ve been blogging and writing for online publications since 2005. (That probably makes me sound ancient in Internet years.) I\'m currently a contributing writer for <a href=\"http://coolmompicks.com/\">Cool Mom Picks</a> and a freelance writer for various websites (contact me for clips). I\'ve worked as a contributing editor for <a href=\"http://www.blogher.com/blog/miguelina\" target=\"_blank\">BlogHer Style</a>. You can also find my past work on fashion at <a href=\"http://www.stylelist.com/all-posts/bloggers/roxanna-sarmiento/\" target=\"_blank\">StyleList</a>, everything I know about weddings at AOL\'s <a href=\"http://www.aisledash.com/bloggers/roxanna-sarmiento/\" target=\"_blank\">Aisledash</a> and read about my favorite places in Boston over at <a href=\"http://girlsguidetocitylife.com/boston/\" target=\"_blank\">Girl\'s Guide to City Life</a>.\r\n\r\nWhat else? I\'m fluent in both English and Spanish, and know enough French to find the library.\r\n\r\nI\'ve lived in the Dominican Republic, <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2007/10/morocco-so-far-from-suburbia.html\" target=\"_blank\">Spain</a> and pretty much worked my way up the east coast of the United States. I now live in Boston with my husband and our three sons. <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2008/01/dirty-water.html\" target=\"_blank\">We like it here</a>.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\nI\'d love to hear from you! Please  email me at <strong>editor AT everydaytreats DOT com</strong>.\r\n\r\nThink you might like to work with me? <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/howtoworkwithme.html\" target=\"_blank\">Check out my work experience and portfolio!</a>\r\n\r\n<strong>WHAT IS EVERYDAY TREATS?</strong>\r\n\r\nEveryday Treats is a blog about the art of living well every day.\r\n\r\nMy favorite topics are <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/style/\" target=\"_self\">Style</a>, <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/beauty/\" target=\"_self\">Beauty</a>, <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/house/\" target=\"_self\">Nesting</a> and <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/life/\" target=\"_self\">Life</a>.\r\n\r\nSubscribing is the easiest way to keep up with our daily treats. You can subscribe to this blog <a href=\"http://everydaytreats.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=288d9a6118aa6bc0dba90b5fb&amp;id=ca73d5a095\">by email</a> or with <a href=\"http://feeds.feedburner.com/EverydayTreats\" target=\"_self\">your favorite feed reader</a>. Or, you can simply<a href=\"http://www.facebook.com/pages/Everyday-Treats/113230932085172\"> like us on Facebook</a>.\r\n\r\n<strong>PR AND MARKETING PROFESSIONALS: </strong><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/a-note-to-pr-professionals.html\" target=\"_blank\">Please read this before sending any pitches my way. Thanks!</a>\r\n\r\n<strong>ALL RIGHTS RESERVED</strong>\r\n\r\nI reserve the rights to all my words and pictures, and you may not use them without my permission and proper attribution.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','About This Site','','publish','closed','closed','','about','','','2012-10-07 20:38:09','2012-10-08 00:38:09','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=232',0,'page','',0),(2451,1,'2011-12-26 14:59:29','2011-12-26 19:59:29','<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/7cbe6f0dd79b4e669a8ec651f6830c0d_7-1.jpeg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1518\" title=\"7cbe6f0dd79b4e669a8ec651f6830c0d_7-1\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/7cbe6f0dd79b4e669a8ec651f6830c0d_7-1-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<strong>ABOUT THE WRITER</strong>\r\n\r\nMy name is Roxanna. I believe that beauty is in the details and that every day is a gift.\r\n<div>\r\n\r\nI publish <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Everyday Treats</a>, a blog about living well every day, and <a href=\"http://frogandsnail.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Frog &amp; Snail</a>, a lifestyle blog for parents of boys.\r\n\r\nI\'ve been blogging and writing for online publications since 2005. (That probably makes me sound ancient in Internet years.) I\'m currently a contributing writer for Cool Mom Picks and a freelance writer for various websites (contact me for clips). I\'ve worked as a contributing editor for <a href=\"http://www.blogher.com/blog/miguelina\" target=\"_blank\">BlogHer Style</a>. You can also find my past work on fashion at <a href=\"http://www.stylelist.com/all-posts/bloggers/roxanna-sarmiento/\" target=\"_blank\">StyleList</a>, everything I know about weddings at AOL\'s <a href=\"http://www.aisledash.com/bloggers/roxanna-sarmiento/\" target=\"_blank\">Aisledash</a> and read about my favorite places in Boston over at <a href=\"http://girlsguidetocitylife.com/boston/\" target=\"_blank\">Girl\'s Guide to City Life</a>.\r\n\r\nWhat else? I\'m fluent in both English and Spanish, and know enough French to find the library.\r\n\r\nI\'ve lived in the Dominican Republic, <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2007/10/morocco-so-far-from-suburbia.html\" target=\"_blank\">Spain</a> and pretty much worked my way up the east coast of the United States. I now live in Boston with my husband and our three sons. <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2008/01/dirty-water.html\" target=\"_blank\">We like it here</a>.\r\n\r\n</div>\r\nI\'d love to hear from you! Please  email me at <strong>editor AT everydaytreats DOT com</strong>.\r\n\r\nThink you might like to work with me? <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/howtoworkwithme.html\" target=\"_blank\">Check out my work experience and portfolio!</a>\r\n\r\n<strong>WHAT IS EVERYDAY TREATS?</strong>\r\n\r\nEveryday Treats is a blog about the art of living well every day.\r\n\r\nMy favorite topics are <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/style/\" target=\"_self\">Style</a>, <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/beauty/\" target=\"_self\">Beauty</a>, <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/house/\" target=\"_self\">Nesting</a> and <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/life/\" target=\"_self\">Life</a>.\r\n\r\nSubscribing is the easiest way to keep up with our daily treats. You can subscribe to this blog <a href=\"http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=EverydayTreats\" target=\"_self\">by email</a> or with <a href=\"http://feeds.feedburner.com/EverydayTreats\" target=\"_self\">your favorite feed reader</a>. Or, you can simply<a href=\"http://www.facebook.com/pages/Everyday-Treats/113230932085172\"> like us on Facebook</a>.\r\n\r\n<strong>PR AND MARKETING PROFESSIONALS: </strong><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/a-note-to-pr-professionals.html\" target=\"_blank\">Please read this before sending any pitches my way. Thanks!</a>\r\n\r\n<strong>ALL RIGHTS RESERVED</strong>\r\n\r\nI reserve the rights to all my words and pictures, and you may not use them without my permission and proper attribution.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','About This Site','','inherit','open','open','','232-revision-20','','','2011-12-26 14:59:29','2011-12-26 19:59:29','',232,'http://www.everydaytreats.com/2011/12/232-revision-20.html',0,'revision','',0),(799,1,'2011-02-22 10:52:34','2011-02-22 15:52:34','','DSC_0074','','inherit','open','open','','dsc_0074','','','2011-02-22 10:52:34','2011-02-22 15:52:34','',798,'http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/DSC_0074.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(735,1,'2011-02-07 19:24:17','2011-02-07 19:24:17','<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2010/06/throwing-a-girls-night-in-with-a-little-help-from-nintendo-and-netflix.html\" target=\"_blank\">Nintendo</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2010/08/gapmagic.html\" target=\"_blank\">The Gap</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2010/03/i-drove-a-lincoln.html\" target=\"_blank\">Lincoln</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/.services/blog/6a00d8341db04e53ef01053596cb7c970c/search?filter.q=butterball\" target=\"_blank\">Butterball</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2009/09/color-of-hope.html\" target=\"_blank\">L\'Oreal</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2009/06/the-new-esteela.html\" target=\"_blank\">Estee Lauder</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.blogher.com/parenting-digital-world?wrap=free-tagging/family-connections\" target=\"_self\">Sprint</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.blogher.com/using-eyeshadow-and-eyeliner-enhance-your-eye-color-easy-way-does-cover-girl-get-it-right\" target=\"_blank\">Cover Girl</a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2010/04/erno-laszlo-and-marilyn.html\" target=\"_blank\">Erno Lazlo</a>','Brands I\'ve Worked With','','inherit','open','open','','682-revision-2','','','2011-02-07 19:24:17','2011-02-07 19:24:17','',682,'http://www.everydaytreats.com/2011/02/682-revision-2.html',0,'revision','',0),(233,1,'2012-05-19 01:54:52','2012-05-19 05:54:52','<em>image via NYT</em>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://happydays.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/10/just-drawn-that-way/\">I re-read this piece from the New York Times</a> whenever I start thinking about what it is I want to do with my life. I\'m certainly doing things, but I\'m always reassessing, wondering if what I\'m is what I want.\r\n\r\nAnd if I\'m honest, sometimes I wonder if what I want to do is enough.\r\n<blockquote>Soon after settling on the Upper East Side, I came upon the Fifth Avenue book fair and impulse-bought a copy of “<a href=\"http://www.playbillstore.com/hionli.html\">Hirschfeld On Line</a>” — a wonderful collection of Al Hirschfeld’s theater drawings. The next morning, I flipped open the book for the first time to find not a drawing, but a photograph of Hirschfeld sitting in a theater seat, sketching.\r\n\r\nAn hour after seeing that photograph, I was at a diner with an acquaintance, who asked me, “What are you going to do now that you live in New York?”\r\n\r\n“I’ve been thinking of sitting in theater rehearsals and drawing,” I replied.\r\n\r\nThis response was not considered and the process of thinking about it lasted as long as the train ride from 86th Street to Bleecker Street, but the man to whom I was talking, David Fuller, had just become head of the Jean Cocteau Repertory Theater and he suggested I try it with a production of Goldoni’s “Servant of Two Masters” they were to begin rehearsing the next week.</blockquote>\r\nSometimes we find our passion by chance, by simply trusting a gut feeling. And to me, sometimes that feels like cheating. But it\'s the most honest way, I think.\r\n\r\nI love this interview with <a href=\"http://www.michaeldarthur.com/\">the artist </a>who drew the sketch on this post and wrote the post I linked to earlier.\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<div><strong>Question:</strong> You use no pencils, nor make any rough drafts. There\'s a metaphor in there somewhere. Do you plan your drawings or have a preconceived structure before you begin?</div>\r\n<div></div>\r\n<div><strong>Michael:</strong> OK--here\'s the metaphor as I see it. First, I don\'t really think of myself as an artist: like I said, I was trained as an actor. So drawing to me is like acting in general and specifically improv acting. I don\'t plan them; I just make a line and it suggests the next line and when I screw that up, I try and save it by making another line until I\'m done and there\'s some art. Or not.It\'s about presence and being in the moment. I\'m not worried about the drawing when I\'m making the drawing. I have no idea what the drawing is. I\'m only trying to figure out the next line. It\'s like being on stage without a script and having to make \"something wonderful right away\" as they used to say at Second City. And, as we all know, theatre is a metaphor for life and all the world\'s a stage . . . We have no clue what\'s coming up next; the best we can do is live in the moment and trust that if we\'re good and do our best, the next moment will take care of itself. I firmly believe this and live in constant fear that it is not true. I live at this neurotic intersection of confidence and fear, and becoming comfortable with that is the secret, if there is one.</div>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\nI am terrified. I am a fraud. I do not know what I am doing. I have no clue how this will turn out. And there is no way out of the situation except to keep drawing . . .\r\n\r\n</div></blockquote>\r\n<div>\r\n\r\nI guess none of us know how this will turn out. The only way is to keep drawing (or writing, or dancing, or working).\r\n\r\n</div>','Strange Passions','','publish','open','open','','finding-your-passion','','','2012-05-19 13:56:41','2012-05-19 17:56:41','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=233',0,'post','',3),(234,1,'2009-07-08 11:06:01','2009-07-08 11:06:01','<p>(No, it&#39;s not just you. I can&#39;t believe I just typed that either.)</p><p>I drive a pretty big car -- A Honda Pilot. </p><p>(OK, I guess it&#39;s an SUV.)</p><p>I hate driving big cars. I hate parking them. I hate filling them up with gas. However, I have a growing family -- one with a car-pooling preschooler, a cute toddler, and that will soon include a third child who needs to be in a car seat. Did I mention that we&#39;re tall people? We are. As much as I hate to admit it, I need a bigger car. </p><p>At this stage of the game, I&#39;m left with limited options. I could buy a crossover (with captain&#39;s chairs in the middle row so that we can actually reach the third row) or I could buy a minivan.</p><p>Just writing that makes me want to grab a gin martini and play some Nina Simone, but I can&#39;t do that because I&#39;m pregnant. So I sit here on a Boppy (for the sciatica) sipping my mango juice and humming &quot;Mysterious&quot; by The Backyardigans, writing about how I&#39;m too hip for a minivan, and yes, I do get the irony of the whole thing. </p><p>Anyways.</p><p>The only crossovers we could find were made by Chevy, GMC, and Buick. Notice a trend? Yes! They&#39;re all by General Motors! The company that&#39;s bankrupt for making unreliable cars? I&#39;ve always bought boring old Japanese cars, and I can honestly tell you that the only times I see a mechanic is when I take the cars in for oil changes -- every couple of years or so. (Shh!) I have no desire to start a relationship with a mechanic a this stage in my life, but because I have an open mind, we went to GM dealers to check the cars out.</p><p>Have you been inside a car dealership lately? It&#39;s very, very depressing. </p><p>However! The scruffy Chevy salesman still had the balls to tell me that the Chevy Traverse is a great &quot;girl car&quot; AND then he took my husband out back for a little talk, about what, I don&#39;t know. Probably about how &quot;girls&quot; aren&#39;t welcome at Chevy dealers? And, hey! Let&#39;s take a look at our shiny Camaros? My husband kept looking back at me nervously, because he knew I was pissed AND he knew that it was over. Because I&#39;m a mean &quot;girl.&quot;</p><p>Despite all of this, we went to a GMC/Buick dealer. The Buick Enclave is a pretty nice looking car. The GMC Acadia is exactly the same, but a little less attractive. I asked the salesman which one of the two models would survive GM&#39;s reorganization. </p><p>He didn&#39;t know.</p><p>I asked him if the Enclave came in Diamond White. </p><p>He said that all he has is the one they had in stock, take it or leave it. </p><p>I snorted. </p><p>He said he was serious, because the factories were shutting down for the summer. </p><p>And that was the end of that.</p><p>So! Off we went to minivan-land. I live in New England, so I have to have 4WD or I will not leave the house for six months. That leaves one choice: The Toyota Sienna.</p><p>We go to the &quot;largest Toyota dealer in New England!&quot; and tell them we want to test drive a Sienna. </p><p>He tells us we&#39;re out of luck. </p><p>Turns out, there&#39;s a waiting list to even buy a minivan. They&#39;re sold out until the fall. Let me repeat: MINIVANS ARE THE HOTTEST VEHICLE OUT THERE. You can wave all the cash you want in their faces, and they can&#39;t sell you one. </p><p>So I can&#39;t have one. And of course, that means that now I really want one. The sliding doors! The remote entry! The storage!</p><p>What has happened to me? Help me.</p>\n','Joining the Minivan Elite','\n','publish','open','open','','joining-the-minivan-elite','','','2009-07-08 11:06:01','2009-07-08 11:06:01','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=234',0,'post','',23),(235,1,'2009-06-28 15:47:33','2009-06-28 15:47:33','<p>I know of people who are inspired by rainy days. I&#39;m not one of those people. It&#39;s been raining non-stop since...I can&#39;t even remember, and it doesn&#39;t seem like it will let up anytime soon...so I quite literally have nothing to say. </p><p>No, really. I&#39;m not kidding. Talk to you later...when the sun&#39;s out.</p>\n','Rainy Days','\n','publish','open','open','','rainy-days','','','2009-06-28 15:47:33','2009-06-28 15:47:33','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=235',0,'post','',2),(236,1,'2009-06-16 16:50:01','2009-06-16 16:50:01','<p>So of course most of us are nothing more than a (patented) ear of fake corn.</p><p><object height=\"340\" width=\"560\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/c2sgaO44_1c&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;rel=0\" /><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" /><param name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\" /><embed allowfullscreen=\"true\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" height=\"340\" src=\"http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/c2sgaO44_1c&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;rel=0\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"560\" /></object></p><p>I can&#39;t wait to see Food, Inc -- even if I&#39;m incapable of watching a movie in the theater without eating fistfuls of popcorn and Milk Duds. You know, together. It&#39;s caramel-popcorn-chocolate nirvana.</p><p>However, I do believe in <a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/the_diary_of_a_reluctant_/2009/04/honest-food.html\">honest food</a> labeling. I hate &quot;food products&quot; even if I will eat them if I have to. Call me an elitist if you want, but I think McDonald&#39;s is a sad substitute for a backyard burger with fresh tomatoes and lettuce. It simply doesn&#39;t compare. So this is the most excited I&#39;ve been about a movie in ages. I just hope my fellow foodies don&#39;t mind my Milk-Dud-and-popcorn habit.</p>\n','You Are What You Eat...','\n','publish','open','open','','you-are-what-you-eat','','','2009-06-16 16:50:01','2009-06-16 16:50:01','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=236',0,'post','',3),(237,1,'2009-06-12 16:16:35','2009-06-12 16:16:35','<p>Do you guys remember <a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/the_diary_of_a_reluctant_/2007/11/a-very-soggy-we.html\">last Thanksgiving</a>?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was the first Thanksgiving dinner I ever made all by myself. The food came out great. But I didn\'t tell you much about the actual dinner because, well, it\'s a boring story. I spent all day in the kitchen making dinner, and then my husband and I ate it. That\'s it. </p>\n\n<p>The problem is that we didn\'t have anybody over for Thanksgiving. Everybody knows that Thanksgiving is the ultimate holiday for hospitality - but the thought of hosting Thanksgiving dinner makes me want to crawl under the covers and hide.</p>\n\n<p>It\'s the turkey\'s fault, I think. </p>\n\n<p>Cooking a turkey for a crowd intimidates me. There is nothing more nerve wracking than the thought of handling a raw 20 lb bird, stuffing and cooking it, all while looking presentable and calm/cool/collected because you have a dining room full of people to entertain - some of whom traveled great distances to eat the very bird that you must remember to take out of the oven, artfully arrange on a big tray, and carefully carry to the table for that big <a href=\"http://www.curtispublishing.com/images/Rockwell/FreeWant%20%203643.jpg\">Norman Rockwell moment</a>. </p>\n\n<p>Hello? PRESSURE.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And how do you keep a smile on your face while your entire family is taking pictures of you and the bird that will last for all eternity? Don\'t people wonder if the turkey is raw? Overcooked? But you won\'t know until you carve it. </p>\n\n<p>(How do you carve a turkey anyways?)</p>\n\n<p>I get all shaky just THINKING about it.</p>\n\n<p>So when the people at Butterball contacted me to see if I was interested in joining the famed Turkey Talk-Line as a blogger, I was sure they had made a mistake.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>But then they told me that they would fly me to their Chicago kitchens and teach me everything I need to know about turkey. I\'ll even be assigned a mentor! And I get to learn right alongside two of my favorite bloggers: <a href=\"http://fridayplaydate.com/\">Susan Wagner</a> and <a href=\"http://www.notesfromthetrenches.com/\">Chris Jordan</a>.</p>\n\n<p>My reaction was very similar to this little girl\'s:</p>\n\n<p>\n\n<object width=\"425\" height=\"344\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/bldo826tot4&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1\" /><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" /><embed width=\"425\" height=\"344\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/bldo826tot4&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"></embed></object></p>\n\n<p>How lucky am I? This is the year I get over my fear of hosting Thanksgiving dinner!</p>\n\n<p>Does Thanksgiving intimidate you too? No worries - I promise to share everything I learn with you. For now, I\'m off to Chicago for Butterball University. Yes, Butterball University. We\'re talking the Ivy League of Thanksgiving here. This is going to be good.</p>\n\n<p><em><a href=\"http://www.diary.blogs.com\">(Take me back to the main blog)</a></em></p>\n','Don\'t fear the turkey','\n','publish','open','open','','im','','','2009-06-12 16:16:35','2009-06-12 16:16:35','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=237',0,'post','',3),(238,1,'2009-06-12 16:16:34','2009-06-12 16:16:34','<p>Last week I kissed my family goodbye, got on a plane headed to Chicago, and put my life on hold for three days. And I did it all in the name of turkey.</p>\n\n<p>I was really nervous about the whole thing - what, exactly, am I supposed to do in a room full of home economists and nutritionists? We’d have nothing in common! The closest thing I have to a Home Economics degree is a relatively new copy of the <em>Joy of Cooking</em>. I knew I was going to be in way over my head - but thankfully I would have <a href=\"http://www.fridayplaydate.com\">Susan</a> and <a href=\"http://www.notesfromthetrenches.com\">Chris</a> with me for moral support.</p>\n\n<p>(BTW - this was the first time I met them and they’re seriously some of the loveliest people ever! They had me laughing at all hours, enabled my little shoe shopping habit and forced me to take pictures in bathrooms. I’m kinda in love with them and was hoping to convince them to leave their families to move to Boston. Surprisingly, they passed on my offer. Fools.)</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2988433244/\" title=\"DSCN6193.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/2988433244_4eac24faa7.jpg\" alt=\"DSCN6193.JPG\" /></a>\n\n</p>\n\n<p>I decided that what I needed to do in a room full of turkey experts is be quiet (so HARD) and learn. Because I had a lot to learn.</p>\n\n<p>The second I walked into Butterball headquarters my mentor, <a href=\"http://www.butterball.com/tips-how-tos/turkey-experts/overview/diana-jimenez\">Diana</a>, ran up to hug and greet me. She and I chit chatted away immediately and right then and there I decided that Diana would be my Chicago Best Friend Forever. She knows everything there is to know about turkey, and she knows it in English AND Spanish, so she’s kind of like Ginger Rogers, who can do everything that Fred Astaire can, but backwards and in high heels. I’m in awe of her, clearly.</p>\n\n<p>The first couple of days were a whirlwind of activity and information. We tried to soak up as much of it as possible - learning about the temperature “danger zone” and that a frozen Butterball turkey doesn’t need to be basted or brined. (Did you know that? Me either!) We watched the Masterbuilt turkey fryer boys (their words, not mine) deep fry a&nbsp; whole turkey, right before our very eyes. It was very much like living in an infomercial. Scratch that, it was <a href=\"http://www.rwadv.com/Masterbuilt/masterbuilt.html\">EXACTLY like living in an infomercial</a>. </p>\n\n<p>But of course, the first two days were merely a warm up for the day we would actually roast a turkey. We were told early on that we would be paired up with an actual expert, so I was pretty relaxed by the time we sat to watch the cooking demonstration. We watched Carol prepare a turkey, which seemed easy enough: free a defrosted turkey from its packaging, take out the bags containing the neck and giblets, pat it dry, and stuff it. It was all pretty tame stuff, until she picked up the turkey to drain it and all the bloody juices came out.</p>\n\n<p>Woo boy, was I ever glad I was going to have a cooking partner. </p>\n\n<p>It was around that time that I learned that everyone BUT ME would have a partner. I wanted to know why I was singled out, and I was told something about a special oven? And that I was going to cook a Lil’ Butterball instead of a full-size bird?</p>\n\n<p>Huh?</p>\n\n<p>We were offered plastic gloves (in case someone didn\'t want to touch raw poultry) but no one took them - not even my blogging buddies, so I declined. Then I was presented with something that can only be described as a glorified toaster oven, and was handed a 10.4 lb defrosted bird and I was told that the oven manufacturer’s&nbsp; instructions say that you can only use the oven on a bird that’s smaller than 9 lbs so, you know, good luck.</p>\n\n<p>Gulp.</p>\n\n<p>I\'m not going to lie - at first I was a little disappointed that I had to cook in this little thing:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2987571765/\" title=\"DSCN6187.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/2987571765_4531c0ab18.jpg\" alt=\"DSCN6187.JPG\" /></a>\n\n\n</p>\n\n<p>While everybody else got to use the awesome Wall of Ovens:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2988431084/\" title=\"DSCN6192.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/2988431084_0508ae831b.jpg\" alt=\"DSCN6192.JPG\" /></a>\n\n\n\n\n\n</p>\n\n<p>But what can you do? I got my scissors and cut through the bag that held my little bird. I really wanted to grab a pair of gloves, but all around me people were touching raw turkeys and I didn’t want to be the only wuss that wouldn’t touch the bird with her bare hands. So I untucked its cute little legs, reached into the cavity and removed the giblets and a packet of gravy (it only comes with the Lil’ Butterballs), closed my eyes and picked up the bird to let the juices out.</p>\n\n<p>It wasn’t that bad. I can be a bit DRAMATIC sometimes.<br /> </p>\n\n<p>Then I started patting the inside dry, and the nice lady next to me reminded me that I needed to remove the neck (oh, that) which was in a nice little bag under the neck flap. Oops. </p>\n\n<p><a title=\"DSCN6178.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2988430554/\"><img width=\"500\" height=\"375\" alt=\"DSCN6178.JPG\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/2988430554_1ee2eb69f7.jpg\" /></a>\n\n</p>\n\n<p>But then I was done with the worst part. Phew!</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2988429080/\" title=\"DSCN6176.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/2988429080_67366b4bd6.jpg\" alt=\"DSCN6176.JPG\" /></a>\n\n</p>\n\n<p>I was so proud that I grabbed the bird (with my bare hands, even!) and went over to Susan\'s table because I\'m an insufferable show-off and she and I were giggling and chatting until Chris came over because she was done. Done as in <u>all</u><em>&nbsp;</em>done: Her turkey was already stuffed and it was in the oven. What a show off.</p>\n\n<p>The fact that she was done turned on my competitive switch and I worked on that turkey with the speed and intensity of a cooking show contestant:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2988430236/\" title=\"DSCN6177.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img width=\"240\" height=\"180\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/2988430236_b27434e8fe_m.jpg\" alt=\"DSCN6177.JPG\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2988429940/\" title=\"DSCN6181.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img width=\"180\" height=\"240\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/2988429940_ff277b0f05_m.jpg\" alt=\"DSCN6181.JPG\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2987570643/\" title=\"DSCN6183.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img width=\"180\" height=\"240\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/2987570643_f209d5a226_m.jpg\" alt=\"DSCN6183.JPG\" /></a>\n</p>\n\n<p>In less than ten minutes, my bird was stuffed and in the oven. It was easy - once you take out the prepackaged giblets and the neck, all that’s left to do is pat the bird dry and stuff it. Then you spray some oil on it (just to make it look pretty) and then in the oven it goes.</p>\n\n<p>Like I said, easy:</p>\n\n<p><a title=\"DSCN6184.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2987570417/\"><img width=\"500\" height=\"375\" alt=\"DSCN6184.JPG\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/2987570417_471e334bf9.jpg\" /></a>\n\n</p>\n\n<p><em>(Your eyes are not deceiving you: Chris is indeed laughing at me, because I was REALLY getting into the spraying oil on the turkey part. So sue me - it was FUN.)</em></p>\n\n<p>Everyone tried slightly different techniques, and at the end of the day we had a big reveal and we all got to eat the birds - all eleven of them. They were all great - but I was particularly proud of my little bird. It was delicious! Even Mary thought so, and Mary is the <a href=\"http://www.butterball.com/tips-how-tos/turkey-experts/overview/mary-clingman\">Butterball Talk Line Boss Lady</a> - so she knows of what she speaks!</p>\n\n<p>Proof that anyone can cook a tasty turkey - even you! (I\'d recommend a nicer platter):</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2987573469/\" title=\"DSCN6214.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/2987573469_cbc7a22025.jpg\" alt=\"DSCN6214.JPG\" /></a></p>\n','Butterball University or: How I got over my fear of handling raw poultry','\n','publish','open','open','','butterball-univ','','','2009-06-12 16:16:34','2009-06-12 16:16:34','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=238',0,'post','',3),(239,1,'2009-06-12 16:16:33','2009-06-12 16:16:33','<p>My favorite Thanksgiving memory has nothing to do with my childhood. Oh, we had a few wonderful Thanksgivings when I was a child - we celebrated it every once in a while when we were living in a country where November means &quot;beach season&quot; and they were still great in their own way - but I\'d be lying if I said that any one of them stood out. </p>\r\n\r\n<p>Instead, my most memorable Thanksgiving is the one where I met my husband. Forget Valentine\'s day - Thanksgiving is the most romantic time of the year for us. It\'s a little weird, but it works for us.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>It wasn\'t always that way, of course. When I was a carefree young professional, Thanksgiving meant a slow work week where we already had 2.5 days off - so a couple of girlfriends and I started the tradition of taking the entire week off work and when you\'re young and single and mostly broke, that can only mean one thing: ROAD TRIP!</p>\r\n\r\n<p>So that year, that\'s what we did. We drove on I95 for two days, and when we arrived in Washington DC it was the Saturday before Thanksgiving. The city was abuzz with young people out for one last night out before they headed home to be with their families. And that was the night I met my husband. </p>\r\n\r\n<p>We had just met, but he acted horrified by the fact that we didn\'t have any plans for Thanksgiving dinner. Weren\'t we Americans? (Yes.) Isn\'t that against the law? (No.) </p>\r\n\r\n<p>So he and two of his friends did what any good American boys would do - they invited us over for Thanksgiving dinner. </p>\r\n\r\n<p>Only thing is, my husband is not American. He\'s European. He\'d never cooked Thanksgiving dinner - or really, any dinner - before. </p>\r\n\r\n<p>Let\'s just say you should be thankful I\'m alive. </p>\r\n\r\n<p>(Oh I kid!)</p>\r\n\r\n<p>We had no other plans, and he\'s kind of cute, so we said yes. And then the guys went into panic mode, ordering a precooked turkey from Giant, buying napkins and candles, and - here\'s my favorite part - collecting assorted pieces of silverware from their various bachelor friends because they didn\'t have enough forks and spoons for a dinner for eight.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Isn\'t that the cutest thing you ever heard?</p>\r\n\r\n<p>The best part is that when we arrived everything was perfect - there were candles and wine and they even invited other friends over so that we could meet new people. After a few glasses of wine one of my friends asked how much longer until the turkey was done.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Done?</p>\r\n\r\n<p>In all the wining and chatting, they forgot to put the turkey in the oven! (Even &quot;pre-cooked&quot; turkeys need to go in the oven.)</p>\r\n\r\n<p><a onclick=\"window.open(this.href, \'_blank\', \'width=300,height=224,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0\'); return false\" href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/11/06/564050_wishful_thinking_2.jpg\"><img width=\"200\" height=\"149\" border=\"0\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/11/06/564050_wishful_thinking_2.jpg\" title=\"564050_wishful_thinking_2\" alt=\"564050_wishful_thinking_2\" style=\"margin: 0px 0px 5px 5px; float: right;\" /></a>\r\n\r\n</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Thankfully, my friend Andrea is a fantastic cook, and she somehow managed to save the day. The turkey was fine, but the best part was after dinner, when the man who would one day be my husband came over with the wishbone and asked me to make a wish.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p> I did.&nbsp; </p>\r\n\r\n<p>And it came true.</p>\r\n','Thanksgiving memories','','publish','open','open','','thanksgiving-me','','','2011-02-07 18:01:03','2011-02-07 18:01:03','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=239',0,'post','',0),(240,1,'2009-06-12 16:16:33','2009-06-12 16:16:33','<p>I\'m packing for Chicago - I\'ll be at Butterball for the third time in three weeks - but this time I won\'t be there to merely soak up the turkey knowledge and selfishly keep it to myself. No siree, this time I\'m going there to share everything I\'ve learned (and it\'s a lot!) with the world. </p>\n\n<p>(That means you.)</p>\n\n<p>Do you have a burning turkey-related question? <a href=\"http://www.butterball.com/tips-how-tos/turkey-experts/thanksgiving-web-chats\">On Tuesday, Nov. 11, at 11am CST (noon for you East Coasters) I\'ll be answering questions on the inaugural Butterball Web Chat.</a> </p>\n\n<p>Isn\'t that exciting! And maybe just a bit terrifying? (For me, not you.) You just have to type away and we\'ll help you prepare for Thanksgiving. I promise it\'ll be fun and informative.</p>\n\n<p>The very awesome <a href=\"http://www.butterball.com/tips-how-tos/turkey-experts/overview/carol-miller\">Carol Miller</a>, who\'s a <u>real</u> <a href=\"http://www.butterball.com/tips-how-tos/turkey-experts/overview/carol-miller\">Turkey Talk-Line expert</a> will be my partner during the chat. I\'ve met her and love her, and I\'m working to get her to invite me and my family over for Thanksgiving. This chat may be my best chance, so please join us.</p>\n\n<p>(Sorry, Mom. Carol\'s just that good.)</p>\n\n<p><a title=\"DSCN6219.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2988432436/\"><img width=\"375\" height=\"500\" alt=\"DSCN6219.JPG\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/2988432436_33644f0269.jpg\" /></a><br /><em>Carol, expertly carving a turkey. She taught me, and you can learn from her too!</em></p>\n\n<p>Butterball wants to give my readers special treatment - so you can leave your questions ahead of time in the comments (here!) and I\'ll get them to Carol directly!</p>\n\n<p>How often do you get the chance to have your turkey questions answered by an expert (and me)? Now\'s your chance, so go ahead and ask!</p>\n\n\n','Let\'s Chat!','\n','publish','open','open','','lets-chat','','','2009-06-12 16:16:33','2009-06-12 16:16:33','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=240',0,'post','',0),(241,1,'2009-06-12 16:16:33','2009-06-12 16:16:33','<p>Have I raved enough about my new friend <a href=\"http://www.butterball.com/tips-how-tos/turkey-experts/overview/carol-miller\">Carol Miller</a>? Not only is she pretty, funny and knows everything there is to know about turkey, she agreed to answer some questions from me and let me post them here. </p>\n\n<p><strong>How long have you been on the Talk-Line?</strong></p>\n\n<p>This will be my 25th Thanksgiving answering the calls at the Talk-Line Office.&nbsp; I had grade school children when I started and now the nest is empty.</p>\n\n<p>I was able to be home with my children and did the Brownie Leader, PTA officer and &quot;earth mother&quot; thing --making home made everything.</p>\n\n<p><strong>How did you become a member of the the Talk-Line? </strong></p>\n\n<p>My neighbor had been working at the Talk-Line and and&nbsp; said we could trade off watching each others children and there were evening hours, too.&nbsp; I was excited to work in my field.&nbsp; I had a degree in Home Economics<br />and the Talk-Line was a great fit. Plus,&nbsp; I could be with grown-ups and wear nice business clothes and have some extra money(to spend on braces, clarinet lessens and new tires)!!!</p>\n\n<p><strong>I know that the callers are your favorite part about the Talk-Line.&nbsp; Why?</strong></p>\n\n<p>One of the things that keeps me coming back each season is the Thanksgiving Day calls.&nbsp; You feel like a mini-hero because you are able to help so many holiday cooks get turkey (the star of the meal) to the table.&nbsp; One caller last year called one of our Talk-Line experts &quot;her turkey godmother&quot;. </p>\n\n<p><strong>What\'s your favorite turkey tip?</strong></p>\n\n<p>I have only one oven in my kitchen so I always plan for the turkey to come out&nbsp; at least one hour early.&nbsp; I remove the hot turkey from the roasting pan (so I can make gravy from the drippings) and cover it with heavy foil and then a couple of clean bath towels.&nbsp; Then I can use the hour to heat things in the now empty oven and use the hour to pull the rest of the meal together. Less stress and the turkey is hot and happy in it\'s insulated environment.</p>\n\n<p><strong>What\'s your favorite Thanksgiving side dish? </strong></p>\n\n<p>I love stuffing!!!!!&nbsp; But, I will admit that I use a&nbsp; seasoned dried cornbread mix as my base.&nbsp; Then I add the things I like--sautéed onions and celery, diced apples and dried cranberries.&nbsp; From year to year, I may try different combinations.&nbsp; Dried apricots or raisins, pre-cooked sausage, and shredded carrots or sliced mushrooms may find their way into my every changing recipe.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Tell us something about yourself that our readers would be surprised to learn:</strong></p>\n\n<p>Your readers may be surprised to learn that I dance every dance at a wedding (except the&nbsp; first one-that is for the bride and groom-right?)&nbsp; I love to dance!!!!</p>\n\n<p>Thank you so much Carol! We\'ll all see you on Thanksgiving!</p>\n','Q&A with Carol Miller from the Butterball Turkey-Talk Line','\n','publish','open','open','','qa-with-carol-m','','','2009-06-12 16:16:33','2009-06-12 16:16:33','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=241',0,'post','',0),(242,1,'2009-06-12 16:16:33','2009-06-12 16:16:33','<p>I\'ve been asked to share my favorite turkey tip with you and after thinking about it for a while, I\'ve decided that the best thing I learned from the fine ladies at the Turkey Talk-Line is simple: The <a href=\"http://www.butterball.com/tips-how-tos/how-tos/roast#one\">open-pan roasting method</a> is best.</p>\n\n<p>I went into this project with visions of joining an elite club of chefs who would share with me the most complicated techniques and I would then become the keeper of some top-secret cooking skills that only the most foolish of amateur cooks would attempt. Instead, my main take away is printed inside every Butterball turkey:</p>\n\n<p>1. Clean the turkey (remove giblets and neck packets)</p>\n\n<p>2. Pat dry and stuff</p>\n\n<p>3. Lightly oil the skin (a brush or cooking spray will do)</p>\n\n<p>4. Place in a shallow open pan</p>\n\n<p>5. Roast at 325 degrees</p>\n\n<p>Out of all the turkeys I\'ve tasted (and woo boy, have I eaten turkey this month) this simple method gave the most consistent results.</p>\n\n<p>I love it when simplicity wins. I may not be some fancypants cook, but at least I can make a delicious turkey without any stress.</p>\n\n\n','My favorite turkey tip','\n','publish','open','open','','my-favorite-tur','','','2009-06-12 16:16:33','2009-06-12 16:16:33','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=242',0,'post','',0),(243,1,'2009-06-12 16:16:32','2009-06-12 16:16:32','<p>I love (no - adore!) shopping online. With two small children on different nap schedules it&#39;s gone from something that I do out of convenience to a real necessity. The UPS man and I are on a first-name basis. You probably think I&#39;m kidding. Vince can assure you that I am not. </p>\n\n\n\n<p>You could say I have a bit of an online shopping habit: I buy clothes, shoes, books and even groceries online. But the one thing this beauty junkie hasn&#39;t done is gone online to buy make-up. Skincare? Yes. With skincare I can read the ingredients and promises and make up my mind about whether I want to buy a particular cream or cleanser from the comfort of my couch. </p>\n\n<p>But make-up? I&#39;ve been very wary to buy make-up online.</p>\n\n<p>Thing is, I like to play with make-up before I buy it. In theory. I also tell myself that I want the expert help at the store. But the reality is that I&#39;m truly grossed out by the displays at big cosmetic superstores and that I&#39;m sometimes intimidated by the impeccably made-up ladies at the department store beauty counters.&#0160; (Just thinking of how many people had put that tube of lipstick to their lips - or worse, admitting that I don&#39;t know what to do with said lipstick is enough to make me ill.) So what really happens I go to the store to buy make-up is that I end up looking at a lot of pretty packaging but not touching or buying anything. </p>\n\n<p>So when the people at Estee Lauder offered me a gift certificate to spend at <a href=\"http://www.esteelauder.com/\">www.esteelauder.com</a> I knew exactly what I wanted to spend it on. Forget their legendary skincare (for now) - it was time to buy some much needed make-up!</p>\n\n<p>But the question was, how?</p>\n\n<p>A quick look at their site put my mind at ease - they have lots of tools that allow you to &quot;play&quot; with make-up and that made it really easy to decide on what to buy. I don&#39;t wear foundation so I didn&#39;t use the <a href=\"http://www.esteelauder.com/flash/foundation_finder/index.tmpl#step1\">foundation finder</a>, but it&#39;s a lot of fun to play with. I did spend a lot of time watching their video tips and picked up a new way of applying eye makeup <a href=\"http://www.esteelauder.com/flash/video_tips.tmpl?video=0\">(the Estee Lauder classic look.)</a> The video demonstration was great - and not just because we get a peek at what the model looks like without her make-up - it really shows how doable this look is. I took a look at their &quot;Get The Look&quot; pages and became smitten with <a href=\"http://www.esteelauder.com/flash/get_the_look/index.tmpl#sensuous_liz\">Elizabeth Hurley&#39;s</a> lip gloss, so I bought some Pure Color Crystal Lipstick...and then I bought the gloss sampler...and, um, one thing led to another....</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3047345806/\" title=\"DSC_0016 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0016\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/3047345806_b471e8174a.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>And now I have an entire make-up wardrobe - purchased completely online. I&#39;m giddy with excitement!</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3047346548/\" title=\"DSC_0018 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0018\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/3047346548_4b08211c10.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a>\n\n</p><p>But here&#39;s the best part: You know those fabulous Gifts-With-Purchase you get when you buy cosmetics at the department stores? You don&#39;t have to give them up! Estee Lauder <a href=\"http://www.esteelauder.com/promotions/index.tmpl\">puts them right online</a>! I got this awesome set and more eyeshadow than I can possibly wear as a free gift:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3046510369/\" title=\"DSC_0015 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0015\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/3046510369_bfd506a185.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p>\n\n\n\n<p>Buying makeup without leaving the house: It&#39;s a beautiful thing.</p><p><em>(More reviews<a href=\"http://www.blogher.com/blogher-reviewers-discover-new-esteelauder-com\"> here</a> - or take me <a href=\"http://www.diary.blogs.com\">HOME</a>.)</em></p>\n','The new EsteeLauder.com','\n','publish','open','open','','the-new-esteela','','','2009-06-12 16:16:32','2009-06-12 16:16:32','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=243',0,'post','',1),(244,1,'2009-06-12 16:16:32','2009-06-12 16:16:32','<p>As you all know by now, I&#39;ve been working with Butterball all month - and if there&#39;s one thing I&#39;ve learned it&#39;s that the key to a stress-free turkey cooking experience is proper thawing. </p>\n\n<p>That means <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">don&#39;t buy a frozen turkey and expect to cook it the same day</span>. You can do it, of course, but it&#39;s not ideal. To say the least.</p>\n\n<p>So last weekend, my mother and I decided to buy a frozen turkey and - you guessed it - have it for dinner that very night. It&#39;s OK, you see, because I&#39;ve been thoroughly trained in the ways of turkey and I have the directions for super-quick defrosting using a microwave. </p>\n\n<p>(I&#39;m not going to post them here - if you find yourself in a bind call 1800BUTTERBALL and they&#39;ll help you. But hopefully, you won&#39;t need to do that.) </p>\n\n<p>Now, the directions are pretty straightforward, so I put the frozen turkey in the microwave and after a bit we noticed that things were starting to smell...cooked? Burnt? But not like delicious poultry cooking - the smell was different.</p>\n\n<p>I finally looked in the microwave and discovered that the bag and the skin of the turkey had exploded. And it was only then that I realized that I had forgotten to set the microwave on 30% power. It was on HIGH.</p>\n\n<p>Not good.</p>\n\n<p>So I went back to the store, bought another one, and proceeded to defrost it in the microwave - but this time we did it correctly. And lo! The turkey came out perfectly defrosted, and it was delicious once we finally were able to cook it. I just wish we hadn&#39;t messed up the first one, but I guess it can happen to the best of us!</p>\n\n<p>The point of this sad but true story is that today is<strong> National Turkey Thawing Day</strong>. Put your frozen Butterball in the refrigerator today and it&#39;ll be perfectly defrosted in time for Thanksgiving dinner. </p>\n\n<p>Why stress out over this? Defrost it today.</p>\n','National Turkey Thaw Day - it\'s today!','\n','publish','open','open','','national-turkey','','','2009-06-12 16:16:32','2009-06-12 16:16:32','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=244',0,'post','',1),(245,1,'2009-06-12 16:16:32','2009-06-12 16:16:32','<p>Hello! I&#39;m spending the morning at Butterball headquarters - where many of you are calling wondering what to do with that frozen turkey. </p><p>(Call! They&#39;ll tell you what to do!)</p><p><br /><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3063649412/\" title=\"DSC_0075 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0075\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/3063649412_96f94e568a.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a><br /><em>Talk line experts in action.</em></p><p>I&#39;m only here for a few hours, and then I&#39;m headed home to be with my kids and husband. I&#39;ll be home before naptime is over, so they&#39;ve hardly missed me. When I spoke to my three year-old this morning he sang the Banana Phone song and wanted to know if he could have sweets. It was 8 AM. I can&#39;t wait to see them, but I have to admit that this Thanksgiving is more exciting than any I can remember. (With <a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/the_diary_of_a_reluctant_/2008/11/how-i-met-my-hu.html\">one notable exception</a>, of course.)</p><p>I don&#39;t know about you, but I&#39;m not used to spending Thanksgiving morning with the <em>Today</em> show crew and the rockstar ladies that work here.</p><p><br /><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3062809423/\" title=\"DSC_0073 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0073\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/3062809423_337907ef08.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p><em>I want to take those lights home. They make you look awesome.</em></p><p>It totally beats cooking.</p><p>Speaking of rockstars, let me introduce you to Marge:</p><p>&#0160;<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3063650194/\" title=\"DSC_0074 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0074\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/3063650194_9e54b0e38b.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p>I&#39;ve been following Marge around all day, because she just did the Conan O&#39;Brien show (<a href=\"http://www.hulu.com/watch/46227/late-night-with-conan-obrien-mon-nov-24-2008?c=895:1427\" target=\"_blank\">watch her in action here</a>) and Hugh Jackman was there that day. THE WOMAN MET HUGH JACKMAN. I&#39;m insanely jealous.</p><p>I think I&#39;ll have some cake. It&#39;ll make me feel better. </p><p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3063648254/\" title=\"DSC_0070 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0070\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/3063648254_bf896f9f99.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p>\n','Thanksgiving morning','\n','publish','open','open','','thanksgiving-morning','','','2009-06-12 16:16:32','2009-06-12 16:16:32','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=245',0,'post','',0),(246,1,'2009-06-12 16:10:51','2009-06-12 16:10:51','<p></p><p>Articles</p><p>PARTY PLANNING</p><p>How to throw a party</p><p><a style=\"display: inline;\" href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0115700b3552970c-popup\" onclick=\"window.open( this.href, \'_blank\', \'width=640,height=480,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0\' ); return false\"><a onclick=\"window.open(this.href,\'_blank\',\'scrollbars=no,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0\'); return false\" style=\"display: inline;\" href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef011571003bab970b-pi.jpg\"><img  class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef011571003bab970b \" alt=\"Bread and Chocolate Bakery | Boston_1244651842575\" title=\"Bread and Chocolate Bakery | Boston_1244651842575\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef011571003bab970b-120pi.jpg\" border=\"0\"></a> <br></a>&nbsp;&nbsp; </p>\n','Test Portfolio','\n','publish','open','open','','test-portfolio','','','2009-06-12 16:10:51','2009-06-12 16:10:51','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=246',0,'post','',0),(247,1,'2009-06-12 15:47:52','2009-06-12 15:47:52','<p>PARTY</p><p>A series of articles written for Butterball.com.</p>&#0160;<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef011571000ac4970b-pi.jpg\" onclick=\"window.open(this.href,&#39;_blank&#39;,&#39;scrollbars=no,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0&#39;); return false\"><img alt=\"Butterball - Make a Party of It_1244258493191\" border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef011571000ac4970b \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef011571000ac4970b-120pi.jpg\" title=\"Butterball - Make a Party of It_1244258493191\" /></a> <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0115700b133b970c-pi.jpg\" onclick=\"window.open(this.href,&#39;_blank&#39;,&#39;scrollbars=no,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0&#39;); return false\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"Butterball - Make a Party of It_1244258493191\" border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0115700b133b970c \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0115700b133b970c-120pi.jpg\" title=\"Butterball - Make a Party of It_1244258493191\" /></a> </p><p>TRAVEL<br /><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0115710013b7970b-pi.jpg\" onclick=\"window.open(this.href,&#39;_blank&#39;,&#39;scrollbars=no,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0&#39;); return false\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"Nantucket Island | Boston_1244651936986\" border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0115710013b7970b \" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0115710013b7970b-120pi.jpg\" title=\"Nantucket Island | Boston_1244651936986\" /></a> </p>\n','Articles','\n','publish','closed','closed','','articles','','','2009-06-12 15:47:52','2009-06-12 15:47:52','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=247',0,'post','',0),(249,1,'2009-06-12 15:18:09','2009-06-12 15:18:09','<p>This is a sample<br /><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0115700ac8c9970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"Butterball - Heritage and Family Traditions_1244258567598\" border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0115700ac8c9970c image-full\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0115700ac8c9970c-800wi.jpg\" title=\"Butterball - Heritage and Family Traditions_1244258567598\" /></a> </p>\n','Test','\n','publish','open','open','','test','','','2009-06-12 15:18:09','2009-06-12 15:18:09','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=249',0,'post','',0),(250,1,'2009-06-08 15:17:50','2009-06-08 15:17:50','<p>&quot;Papas work and Mamas don&#39;t.&quot;</p><p>My husband and I stop eating and look, surprised, at our son.&#0160; He was already happily back to eating his breakfast cereal. We, on the other hand, were stunned, and not just because he had been chattering away about spiders just a minute ago.</p><p>(Ah, the <em>non-sequitur</em>. That&#39;s just how it goes with a four year-old in the house.)</p><p>&quot;I&#39;ll have you know that your Mama is a lot smarter than I am, &quot; was all that my husband could come up with. I couldn&#39;t thing of anything to say. And I&#39;m supposed to be the smart one. But I knew that&#39;s not what our son meant, though I&#39;m well aware that to many people paying work and brains are one and the same.</p><p>Instead, I thought about the day ahead of us: The driving, the cooking, the endless negotiating. I thought about the nice air-conditioned offices where I have worked in the past - places with doors and windows that look out at planes, planes that I used to take to to go to Very Important Meetings. I remember the thrill of a job well done - and the bonus checks that felt much better than any pat in the back ever did. I thought about my diploma collection - high school, college, grad school - the last one obscenely large in size and filled with beautiful calligraphy (which I&#39;ve never bothered to decipher because it&#39;s in Latin. Once again, genius.). I realize that right now, no one cares.</p><p>Then I remembered. </p><p>I remembered what it was really like for me. I remembered working with my last boss, God bless her incompetent heart. The jealousy in her voice when I quit because I didn&#39;t want to be a brand manager anymore. I remembered the rows of cubicles and the persistent hum of the printers, white noise that would make me zone out - and what did I daydream about when I was half-awake and half asleep in front of an Excel spreadsheet? </p><p>Escape.</p><p>I remember that I chose this life of uncertainty. I wanted to write. I wanted more control of my days. I&#39;ve found that that&#39;s a lot harder than being told what to do. Have I wasted my education, my work experience? I don&#39;t know. But if there&#39;s one thing I know is that the person who should benefit the most from all my hard work is me. And I think I have: If anything, I have the confidence to say no to projects, things and people that don&#39;t fit me. I like that.</p><p>But enough about that. My kids and husband are still looking at me. Are they waiting for an answer? </p><p>&quot;It&#39;s a little more complicated than that,&quot; I tell my son. I rub his hair and smile. He smiles back and asks if he can wear his spider tee to school again, the one he wore yesterday.</p><p>&quot;Sure. Why not?&quot; One decision down. Another endless day is ahead. </p>\n','Endless days','\n','publish','open','open','','endless-days','','','2009-06-08 15:17:50','2009-06-08 15:17:50','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=250',0,'post','',9),(251,1,'2009-06-04 18:18:26','2009-06-04 18:18:26','<p>So, this year&#39;s Spring garden left a lot to be desired -- no <a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/the_diary_of_a_reluctant_/2008/05/florimania.html\">special post went up</a> because I was too damned sick with allergies and whatnot to actually enjoy the flowers. So here, all you get is a shot of some potted gardenias I&#39;ve plopped next to the garage:</p><p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3595389995/\" title=\"DSC_0094 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0094\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce205970b\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce205970b-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p>We&#39;re pretty much overcome with weeds at this point, and since I have a very difficult time bending over to reach them I&#39;ve told myself I&#39;m pretty much over the glamour of gardening.&#0160; But then I noticed a curious thing:</p><p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3595389159/\" title=\"DSC_0085 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0085\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce20f970b\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce20f970b-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p>My peonies! They&#39;re coming to life!</p><p>I planted this peony bush two years ago, and it has never flowered. In fact, last summer it &quot;died&quot; because I never watered it. I read somewhere that it takes up to five years for a peony to take root, and since they&#39;re my favorite flowers I was willing to take the chance.&#0160; So imagine my surprise to see the emerging blooms on my plucky little shrub. I&#39;m not going to lie, I was excited.</p><p>The next day, I was rewarded with this:</p><p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3596196444/\" title=\"DSC_0087 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0087\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce21a970b\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce21a970b-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p>I can&#39;t believe I planted this thing. I watered it (sometimes), and let&#39;s face it, neglected it, for two years -- and finally, FINALLY, my patience is being rewarded. </p><p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3595390369/\" title=\"DSC_0097 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0097\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce226970b\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce226970b-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p>I love peonies, and not only because their <a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/the_diary_of_a_reluctant_/2007/07/peonies-envy.html\">name lends itself to bad puns</a>.&#0160; I love how big and extravagant they are, I love their fragrance, I love them in centerpieces, and I love that they only bloom in June. They&#39;re the perfect middle-of-the-year pick-me up.</p><p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3596197930/\" title=\"DSC_0100 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0100\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce22d970b\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce22d970b-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p>\n','Peonies Watch','\n','publish','open','open','','peonies-watch','','','2009-06-04 18:18:26','2009-06-04 18:18:26','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=251',0,'post','',6),(252,1,'2009-05-31 08:57:17','2009-05-31 08:57:17','<p>I&#39;m not even going to pretend that this a political blog (or I should more accurately say, a judicial watch blog) but the constant exposure to Sonia Sotomayor&#39;s &quot;wise Latina&quot; quote, taken out of context is -- to put it mildly -- disappointing to me.</p><p>Dirty GOP politics is nothing new, but that the mainstream media keeps repeating the quote out of context thus doing the GOP&#39;s dirty work for them is pretty scary.</p><p>Sigh.</p><p>Why such a sophomoric smear campaign? In Sotomayor&#39;s own words,<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em><strong><br /></strong></em></span></p><div class=\"blockquote\" style=\"margin-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em><strong>To understand takes time and effort, something that not all people are willing to give.</strong></em></span><br /></div><p>You could argue that those words are proven right by the storm brewing around her right now, but I&#39;ll let you decide on your own. I trust that my fellow Americans are capable to form an opinion based on facts, something that talk radio seems to think is impossible.</p><p>Anyways.</p><p>Here is the offending statement:</p><blockquote><p>\nFirst, as Professor Martha Minnow has noted, there can never be a universal definition of wise. <strong>Second,\nI would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her\nexperiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a\nwhite male who hasn&#39;t lived that life.</strong></p><p>Let us not forget\nthat wise men like Oliver Wendell Holmes and Justice Cardozo voted on\ncases which upheld both sex and race discrimination in our society.\nUntil 1972, no Supreme Court case ever upheld the claim of a woman in a\ngender discrimination case. I, like Professor Carter, believe that <strong>we\nshould not be so myopic as to believe that others of different\nexperiences or backgrounds are incapable of understanding the values\nand needs of people from a different group. Many are so capable. </strong>As\nJudge Cedarbaum pointed out to me, nine white men on the Supreme Court\nin the past have done so on many occasions and on many issues including\nBrown.</p><p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em><strong>However, to understand takes time and effort, something that not all people are willing to give.</strong></em></span>\n\n</p></blockquote><p>Does this sound like a racist to you? I get that &quot;racist&quot; is a charge that is guaranteed to get you press, but it also makes you look desperate when it is thrown about so cheaply. </p><p>(And yes, Hispanic is not a race, but the concept is clearly too difficult for people to understand right now. Let&#39;s keep things simple.)</p><p>Read the <a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/15/us/politics/15judge.text.html\">complete speech here</a> and make up your own mind.</p><p><em><a href=\"http://momocrats.typepad.com/momocrats/2009/05/guest-momocrats-post-by-miguelina-calling-sonia-sotomayor-a-racist-make-sure-you-have-the-facts-firs.html\" target=\"_blank\">(Cross-posted at MOMOCRATS)</a></em></p>\n','To Understand Takes Time and Effort, Something that Not All People Are Willing To Give','\n','publish','open','open','','to-understand-takes-time-and-effort-something-that-not-all-people-are-willing-to-give','','','2009-05-31 08:57:17','2009-05-31 08:57:17','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=252',0,'post','',3),(253,1,'2009-05-28 10:32:45','2009-05-28 10:32:45','<p><a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/28/style/28hugs.html\">This article </a>made me laugh out loud. And yet, the sight of teenagers protesting for their right to hug gave me the warm fuzzies. The kids, they are all right, after all. </p><p>I mean, really? Are people really concerned about this newfangled hugging craze? Maybe it&#39;s a cultural thing, but to me, a hug is really no big deal. Then again, in Miami you kiss everyone hello when you enter a room. And no, I&#39;m not talking the infamous Hollywood air-kiss, and no, it&#39;s not a soulful peck on the cheek either. It&#39;s hard to explain, but it&#39;s perfectly appropriate and slobber-free. It&#39;s a good thing, because acknowledging the existence and humanity of everyone you meet is always good. Yes, it is. Don&#39;t even try to argue with me on this, or I&#39;ll hug you.</p><p>I know, I know. What about the kids who don&#39;t want to hug? They don&#39;t have to. So what if they&#39;re known as non-huggers? It&#39;s what they are -- and a way to express their individuality. If you don&#39;t like it, don&#39;t do it - and own up to it. There are people<a href=\"http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/05/09/hand-shaking-is-so-medieval-lets-end-it/\"> who don&#39;t like to shake hands </a>-- because of germs, or religious reasons or whatever. They have to figure out how to be outside the norm. That&#39;s not a bad thing either. It&#39;s good practice for the rest of your life.&#0160; </p><p>I say let the kids hug. It sure beats the alternative.</p><p></p><p><br /><object height=\"344\" width=\"425\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/vr3x_RRJdd4&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1\" /><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" /><param name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\" /><embed allowfullscreen=\"true\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" height=\"344\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/vr3x_RRJdd4&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"425\" /></object></p>\n','Hugging is Hip','\n','publish','open','open','','hugging-is-hip','','','2009-05-28 10:32:45','2009-05-28 10:32:45','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=253',0,'post','',2),(254,1,'2009-05-27 11:22:04','2009-05-27 11:22:04','<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01156fb0175c970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"My three sons\" border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01156fb0175c970c  at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39d4b970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39d4b970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"My three sons\" /></a><br /><br /><div style=\"text-align: left;\">It&#39;s official: I&#39;m a mom of <a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/the_diary_of_a_reluctant_/2006/12/boys.html\">boys</a>!<br /><br />I wasn&#39;t the <a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/the_diary_of_a_reluctant_/2009/03/let-the-guessing-games-begin.html\">least bit surprised </a>when the ultrasound clearly showed the extra appendage that made it official. Three boys. Wow. Most days I&#39;m pretty sure I can handle it, but then I have a day like yesterday -- when the two year old lodged a Lego up his nose (yes, really - and yes, it was bloody), was run over by the eight year-old neighbor driving a 4X4 power wheel and both boys insisted they were still hungry. At 9:00 PM.&#0160; After dinner and a snack.<br /><br />I may need to go back to work just to pay for the extra groceries. <br /><br />Then again, I&#39;ve already trained the boys to always put the toilet seat down AND to wipe the toilet after each use. A sticky toilet is a crime punishable by ... well, I&#39;ve never actually told them, but they&#39;re clever enough not to leave evidence behind and find out.<br /><br />I may have this boy parenting thing down.<br /><br /><br /></div></div>\n','My Three Sons (Hold Me)','\n','publish','open','open','','my-three-sons-hold-me','','','2009-05-27 11:22:04','2009-05-27 11:22:04','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=254',0,'post','',20),(255,1,'2009-05-26 15:14:25','2009-05-26 15:14:25','<p>Not sure why I like this video, but I do:</p><br /><div><object height=\"339\" width=\"420\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x99ein\" /><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" /><param name=\"allowScriptAccess\" value=\"always\" /><embed allowfullscreen=\"true\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" height=\"339\" src=\"http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x99ein\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"420\" /></object><br /><strong><a href=\"http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x99ein\">Make The Girl Dance &quot;Baby Baby Baby&quot; ( official video )</a></strong><br /><em>by <a href=\"http://www.dailymotion.com/placeblancherec\">placeblancherec</a><br /><br /></em>Maybe it&#39;s because the bystanders are remarkably nonchalant about the whole thing? I can see the thought bubbles over their heads, &quot;¡<em>Mon Dieu! Cette Fille</em> needs a scarf or she&#39;ll catch a cold!&quot;<br /><br /><br /></div>\n','Ah, The French...','\n','publish','open','open','','ah-the-french','','','2009-05-26 15:14:25','2009-05-26 15:14:25','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=255',0,'post','',3),(1361,1,'2011-05-17 11:45:57','2011-05-17 15:45:57','<em><span style=\"color: #888888;\">Because most of us can\'t walk around like this.</span></em>\r\n\r\nQuestion: Why should you define your personal style?\r\n\r\nAnswer: Because you have to get dressed every day.\r\n\r\nIf your closets are full of clothes and somehow you never have anything to wear, if you end up panic shopping before every important trip or social function, if you never know what to buy when you go clothes shopping -- you <em>need</em> to define your personal style. It will make your life easier and save you money in the end.\r\n\r\nI understand that the concept of \"personal style\" sounds like vague and fake fashion-talk, but it really is a practical thing. And I promise you that even if you\'re not into fashion you have style -- it\'s just a matter of defining it.\r\n\r\n<strong>First, what do you like?</strong>\r\n\r\nYou\'ve heard of inspiration boards. I spoke about them at <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2010/10/my-voices-of-the-year-video.html\">Blogher</a> in the context of blog design, but the same principle applies to your closet. So go ahead and make one.\r\n\r\nIf you don\'t know what an inspiration board is (what? you don\'t watch Oprah?) they\'re easy and fun to make -- get some paper or poster board, scissors, a glue stick and tons of magazines. Get as wide a variety of magazines as you can, but be sure to have a few of your favorites on hand, even if they\'re not fashion magazines -- TV Guide or National Geographic work too -- and go to town tearing out pictures and words that you like.\r\n\r\nThere are no rules, so have fun.\r\n\r\nThen you glue your favorite pictures onto whatever surface you have on hand (I use a notebook) and...that\'s all there is to is! Easy!\r\n\r\nHere\'s my inspiration board. Yours will look nothing like it. That\'s perfect.\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Blogging Your Way Mood Board -- Everyday Treats by R. S. M., on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/5524587539/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5051/5524587539_4aa5b83499.jpg\" alt=\"Blogging Your Way Mood Board -- Everyday Treats\" width=\"500\" height=\"324\" /></a>\r\n\r\n(If you\'re nosy you can click on the picture and inspect it on Flickr. Go on!)\r\n\r\nDoes this board give you a feel what I like to wear? Yes it does, even if I have things on it that aren\'t clothes. Yours will tell you what you like too, even if you stick pictures of elephants or waterfalls. Maybe you have a sense of adventure, or maybe you like warm-weather clothes. One picture doesn\'t tell your story, but put many things you like together and it starts to come together.\r\n\r\nI\'ll be back tomorrow with tips to help you discover what looks good on you. Until then, go and make your inspiration board.\r\n\r\nLet me know if you post it somewhere, because I\'d love to see it!','How to define your personal style: Shopper, know thyself','','publish','open','open','','how-to-define-your-personal-style-shopper-know-thyself','','','2011-05-17 11:45:57','2011-05-17 15:45:57','',0,'http://www.everydaytreats.com/?p=1361',0,'post','',10),(1303,1,'2011-04-25 09:02:01','2011-04-25 13:02:01','Do you ever feel overwhelmed?\r\n\r\nPlease say yes. It\'s not because I want you to feel that awful feeling, but because when I\'m in the middle of feeling overwhelmed I feel so alone. Like I invented it.\r\n\r\n*exhale*\r\n\r\nLast week was one of those weeks. Two trips in a month, sick kids, school vacation, piles of laundry, no food in the house...wow, it was quite the week.\r\n\r\nThankfully, my son is starting to feel better (fingers crossed) and I\'m starting to breathe.\r\n\r\nUntil I see my unpacked luggage and the messy drawers and my the unread number of messages in my inbox keeps climbing and, and I just want to lie down. Except that I can\'t sleep because I can\'t stop thinking about the pile of stuff I have to tackle.\r\n\r\nIt\'s so much! So...overwhelming.\r\n\r\nAnd then I decide to clean out my purse. Out go the useless receipts from CVS, the old tissues (hey, I have a sick kid, remember?), the old lipgloss tube with no lipgloss left in it.\r\n\r\nAah...that feels better.\r\n\r\nSo I have a bit of energy and start to clean out my fridge. Why? I wasn\'t bothered by my fridge. But it\'s there. So I do it.\r\n\r\nAnd then, then I feel superhuman.\r\n\r\nAnd I start putting away the laundry. And replying to email. And writing.\r\n\r\nThe little things. Tackle them first. It\'s all in the little things.','little by little','','publish','open','open','','little-by-little','','','2012-02-09 15:01:42','2012-02-09 20:01:42','',0,'http://www.everydaytreats.com/?p=1303',0,'post','',5),(257,1,'2009-05-21 17:37:09','2009-05-21 17:37:09','<p>Well, you are all probably wondering what in the HELL I&#39;ve been up to all month. I&#39;ve been busy! BUSY! I tell you. I&#39;ve been sick. TWICE. One of my kids developed a couple of mystery rashes. I bought a typewriter. I was so desperate because of seasonal allergies that I tried a neti pot (but don&#39;t worry, I&#39;ll spare you the details). I&#39;ve been shopping for bigger clothes, because, lest ye forget, I&#39;ve also been gestating.</p><p>Aaaand, that&#39;s all I&#39;ve got. </p><p>In other words, my life is too boring for words. So you know what that means, right?</p><p>PICTURES!</p><p>Here I am at around week 12:</p><p><br />\n\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3527869771/\" title=\"13/14 weeks. I lose count. by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"13/14 weeks. I lose count.\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39c3b970c\" height=\"500\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39c3b970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"334\" /></a></p><p>Look at how rested I am! Hell, I&#39;m even wearing lipstick. I miss those days.</p><p>Here is the baby at just about the same time:</p><p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3527842879/\" title=\"web26march by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"web26march\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39c4d970c\" height=\"395\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39c4d970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p></p><p></p><p>Cute little bugger.</p><p>Week 16</p><p><br /><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3527858167/\" title=\"webbuetop by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"webbuetop\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39c68970c\" height=\"500\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39c68970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"334\" /></a></p><p>This picture was taken right after a four year-old&#39;s birthday party. No, I didn&#39;t eat the four year-old, but I did steal one of the kid&#39;s bowls of mac n cheese. What can I say? The BABY needs nutrition! I mean, look at it:</p><p></p><p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3527849635/\" title=\"webapril24 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"webapril24\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39c82970c\" height=\"497\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39c82970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p>The baby&#39;s practically begging for it! How could I say no?</p><p></p><p>And here&#39;s week 18:</p><p><br /><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3527827837/\" title=\"webbluedress by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"webbluedress\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39cb3970c\" height=\"500\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39cb3970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"265\" /></a></p><p>You will notice a craptastic cropping job. I looked awful that day, and I still have some dignity left. Oh, and the baby:</p><p></p><p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3528650680/\" title=\"webmay8 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"webmay8\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39ccb970c\" height=\"377\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39ccb970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p>Still chilling out. </p><p>In other words, things are good. I&#39;m on my 20th week, but I haven&#39;t found the energy to take a picture of the belly. But don&#39;t worry! It&#39;s still there. </p><p>(Trust me.)</p><p></p>\n','Weeks 12-20','\n','publish','open','open','','weeks-12-20','','','2009-05-21 17:37:09','2009-05-21 17:37:09','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=257',0,'post','',6),(258,1,'2009-05-02 21:26:31','2009-05-02 21:26:31','<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3495705598/\" title=\"IMG_0230 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"IMG_0230\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39d2a970c\" height=\"500\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39d2a970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"375\" /></a></p><p>For some reason (probably one too many viewings of Max and Ruby) my son became obsessed with growing tomatoes from seed.</p><p>I&#39;m an avid <a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/the_diary_of_a_reluctant_/2008/05/florimania.html\">fake gardener</a>, but I&#39;ve never grown anything edible. So I bought some seeds (you know where t<a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/the_diary_of_a_reluctant_/2008/06/zinnias.html\">his is going</a>, don&#39;t you?) and because it was still chilly I tried to &quot;start&quot; them inside. </p><p>Almost a month later, we&#39;ve got nothing. But my son kept checking his seeds daily, waiting for a miracle. It was sad.</p><p>So I, being a benevolent mother, and a cheater, did what I like to think anyone else would do: I went to a nursery and bought a baby tomato plant, plopped it where a tomato seedling should be growing by now, and waited for my son to discover the miracle of germination.</p><p>(You&#39;d think I&#39;d be ashamed to admit this, but guess what? I&#39;m not!)</p><p>When my son checked his seeds and found a HUGE &quot;seedling&quot; sprouting out of nowhere he was not amused. He brought it over and demanded to know what this was.</p><p>&quot;A baby tomato plant!&quot; I said. I wasn&#39;t lying. That&#39;s EXACTLY what it is.</p><p>&quot;Why is it the only one that got big?&quot; He demanded, &quot;why is it so big?&quot;</p><p>I had no answer. So he wants nothing to do with the tomato plant. And neither do I. </p>\n','Little Green Lies','\n','publish','open','open','','little-green-lies','','','2009-05-02 21:26:31','2009-05-02 21:26:31','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=258',0,'post','',5),(259,1,'2009-04-22 11:30:40','2009-04-22 11:30:40','<p><em>This post is for my neighbor <a href=\"http://verbatim.blogs.com/verbatim/2009/04/food-from-home.html\">Karen</a>, who tagged me for this <a href=\"http://blog.dancingdeer.com/index.php/site/entry_detail/food_from_home/\">meme</a>, which was started by a local company (makers of the best marshmallows in the universe) to <a href=\"http://blog.dancingdeer.com/index.php/site/entry_detail/why_we_ride_1500_miles_to_end_family_homelessness/\">publicize a good cause</a>. I also dedicate it to <a href=\"http://www.citizenofthemonth.com/\">Neil</a>, because he clearly needs help ordering at his <a href=\"http://www.citizenofthemonth.com/2009/03/25/goat-stew/\">neighborhood Dominican diner</a>. </em></p><p>I&#39;m pregnant, so when I was asked to tell you about the foods that remind me of home I couldn&#39;t stop at one meal. Nooo, I have to tell you about a what a perfectly comfort food DAY would look for me. Because this baby is hungry.</p><p>BREAKFAST</p><p><a href=\"http://www.dominicancooking.com/rice-pasta-tubers-bread/1418-pan-agua-water-bread.html\">Pan de agua</a> (no need to toast it) with butter and honey. Chase it down with a glass of <a href=\"http://www.dominicancooking.com/desserts-beverages/1468-morir-sonando-milk-orange-juice.html\">morir soñando</a> (literally: <a href=\"http://www.dominicancooking.com/desserts-beverages/1468-morir-sonando-milk-orange-juice.html\">To die dreaming</a>. What a way to start your day!)</p><p>MID-MORNING</p><p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/tropicalnadia/391775303/in/set-72057594059947737/\">Cafecito de greca</a> - I need my coffee.</p><p>LUNCH</p><p>Arroz con <a href=\"http://www.dominicancooking.com/beans-soups-stews/1494-habichuelas-rojas-guisadas-stewed-red-beans.html\">habichuelas</a> and <a href=\"http://www.dominicancooking.com/side-dishes-salads-casseroles/1263-platanos-al-caldero-caramelized-ripe-plantains.html\">caramelized plantains</a>. I&#39;m not exaggerating when I tell you that this was my childhood lunch 80% of the time. We&#39;d usually have some leftover <a href=\"http://www.dominicancooking.com/desserts-beverages/1446-bizcocho-dominicano-dominican-cake.html\">Dominican cake</a> for dessert. (So <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/tropicalnadia/396481085/in/set-72057594059947737/\">sweet</a>!) More cafecito.</p><p>AFTERNOON SNACK</p><p><a href=\"http://www.dominicancooking.com/desserts-beverages/1465-batida-lechoza-papaya-milkshake.html\">Batido de lechoza</a> with some <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/tropicalnadia/403510861/in/set-72057594059947737/\">Yaniqueues</a>.</p><p>DINNER </p><p><a href=\"http://www.dominicancooking.com/rice-pasta-tubers-bread/1416-mangu-mashed-plantains.html\">Mangù</a> with my mom&#39;s onion and tomato sofrito on top. Dessert would be<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/tropicalnadia/394964125/in/set-72057594059947737/\"> dulce frio</a>.</p><p>Woah. That&#39;s a lot of food for one day. I guess it&#39;s a good thing I live in a place where the produce guys don&#39;t know what a ripe plantains is. (No, it&#39;s not a banana.)</p>\n','Home Food','\n','publish','open','open','','home-food','','','2009-04-22 11:30:40','2009-04-22 11:30:40','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=259',0,'post','',5),(260,1,'2009-04-17 15:10:32','2009-04-17 15:10:32','<p>This totally made my day, even if my husband The Austrian, thinks it&#39;s &quot;silly&quot;:</p><p><object height=\"340\" width=\"560\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/7EYAUazLI9k&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1\" /><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" /><param name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\" /><embed allowfullscreen=\"true\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" height=\"340\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/7EYAUazLI9k&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"560\" /></object></p><p>I love the fact that the genius that is The Sound of Music resonates with the Belgians too. We&#39;re not the only ones who love a campy musical with catchy tunes.</p><p>I&#39;m tired after an emotional week, but in case you&#39;re curious this week I wrote about<a href=\"http://www.stylelist.com/blog/2009/04/17/foundation-replaces-lipstick-as-the-must-have-beauty-item-during/\"> foundation and the economy</a>, <a href=\"http://www.blogher.com/we-try-out-marilyn-monroes-favorite-beauty-products-do-they-still-work\">Marilyn Monroe&#39;s beauty routine</a>, and <a href=\"http://www.stylelist.com/blog/2009/04/16/springs-best-rain-boots/\">rain boots</a>. </p><p>Life may be harsh, but I like to keep my work nice and fluffy. Have a fabulous weekend!</p>\n','Weekly Roundup','\n','publish','open','open','','weekly-roundup','','','2009-04-17 15:10:32','2009-04-17 15:10:32','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=260',0,'post','',1),(261,1,'2009-04-13 14:59:46','2009-04-13 14:59:46','<p>It doesn&#39;t make sense. </p><p>The loss of a child never makes sense, even if that baby isn&#39;t your own. </p><p>I know that being a parent is full of risks - that despite all the joy it brings, you never get to relax. I know that a mother&#39;s heart gets broken many times. Your heart becomes stronger and more fragile all at once. Every time one of my children gets hurt, I hurt. Every disappointment they experience becomes my own. I hold my breath at every OB visit, because I know that life - even the one growing so fiercely in my womb - is precious and fragile and there is only so much we can control.</p><p>And that&#39;s only my children. There are so many children in the world, so many mothers who are as strong and fragile as I am. Their pain becomes my own too. </p><p>This week <a href=\"http://remembermaddie.com/\">two</a> beautiful <a href=\"http://gorillabuns.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/04/thalon-bruce-myers.html\">babies</a> passed away. I never met them, but I know they were loved because I read their mother&#39;s words. And now they are gone.</p><p>It doesn&#39;t make sense. </p><p>Please, share a thought or a prayer with the families left behind. And if you can, consider<span style=\"font-family: Georgia;\"> </span><span style=\"font-family: Georgia;\"><a href=\"https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&amp;hosted_button_id=4687777\">donating to the fund</a><span style=\"font-family: Georgia;\"> Thalon&#39;s</span> </span><a href=\"http://whoorl.com/archives/1669\">friends</a><span style=\"font-family: Georgia;\"> have set up. </span></p>\n','Fragile','\n','publish','closed','open','','fragile','','','2009-04-13 14:59:46','2009-04-13 14:59:46','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=261',0,'post','',0),(262,1,'2009-04-08 23:13:28','2009-04-08 23:13:28','<p>I like to eat. I like food. I like it a lot.</p><p>But I like Food. As in real food that is made from edible ingredients - things that will probably spoil eventually and will need to be cooked. Simple ingredients taste best to me.</p><p>Don&#39;t get me wrong: I&#39;m not a nutrition expert or a strict health nut. I can eat a Big Mac. I&#39;d rather have almost anything else, but I don&#39;t think an occasional mass-produced burger will kill me. I can appreciate a <a href=\"http://www.newsweek.com/id/36656\">Twinkie for what it is</a> - not exactly food, but a food product that is darn tasty in its own way.&#0160;</p><p>You know what I really like about Twinkies? A Twinkie doesn&#39;t claim&#0160; to be food, or at least nutritious food.&#0160;</p><p>(Actually, I don&#39;t eat Twinkies. I think they&#39;re pretty bland. But I love Mallomars.)</p><p>What I think is unforgivable is when fake food pretends to be nutritious. Did you know that the first ingredient in a <a href=\"http://www.minimus.biz/detail.aspx?ID=7281\">Strawberry Nutrigrain bar is high fructose corn syrup</a>? It&#39;s also the ninth ingredient. This, in a product that calls itself a &quot;nutri&quot; - &quot;grain&quot; bar. </p><p>That pisses me off almost as much as those &quot;fruit juices&quot; and &quot;milks&quot; you get in vending machines - have you ever read the labels? Yep, high fructose corn syrup is invariably the second ingredient -- after water. </p><p>Why do these food companies even pretend they&#39;re selling food? Why not inject corn-derived sweeteners straight into our veins?</p><p>It&#39;s past the point of ridiculousness. </p>\n','honest food','\n','publish','open','open','','honest-food','','','2009-04-08 23:13:28','2009-04-08 23:13:28','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=262',0,'post','',2),(263,1,'2009-03-25 15:24:45','2009-03-25 15:24:45','<p>You guys. Thank you so much! I&#39;ve just reread your comments (again!) and I can&#39;t believe how nice you all are. Smooches!</p><p>I noticed a bit of good-natured hinting at the fact that we may be expecting a girl this time. When I found out that my second would be a boy, <a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/the_diary_of_a_reluctant_/2006/12/boys.html\">I wrote </a>about my hard-won acceptance of the fact that both my children would be male. I&#39;m not going to lie - it wasn&#39;t easy, but just as I suspected at the time, I&#39;ve taken to my boy-mama role quite well. I&#39;m also not going to lie to you now: If this third baby is a boy, it would be wonderful. </p><p>I&#39;m not just saying that. </p><p>You see, I&#39;m so used to having boys that adding another one would obviously be the easiest option. We have every possible combination of jeans/shorts/tees/button down shirts possible. We have every Playmobil and Lego set known to man, as well as an extensive collection of trucks. We&#39;re set. </p><p>I&#39;ve also come to not only accept, but appreciate, the fact that I get to mother boys. I can&#39;t know if mothers of girls feel the same way, but I&#39;ve noticed that it&#39;s very easy for me to just let my boys be themselves because they don&#39;t look like mini versions of me so I don&#39;t expect them to react to things in the same way I would. Also, they like to run and push each other, and I just can&#39;t relate to that. The best part is that they can relate to each other, and while they crash their trucks or pretent to be Spiderman for the upteenth time, I can give myself a manicure. I&#39;m always pleasantly surprised when it turns out that in a lot of ways my boys are miniature versions of me - they have a lot of the same personality traits that I do, and yes, they even look like me - at times.</p><p>It&#39;s great having boys. I get to have my cake and eat it too. </p><p>Now, a confession: If this baby&#39;s a girl? I would love it too. To experience mothering a girl, to relive girlhood? That would be amazing too. </p><p>And I&#39;m not just saying that.</p>\n','Let the guessing games begin...','\n','publish','open','open','','let-the-guessing-games-begin','','','2009-03-25 15:24:45','2009-03-25 15:24:45','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=263',0,'post','',13),(264,1,'2009-03-19 18:00:39','2009-03-19 18:00:39','<p>I&#39;m pregnant!</p><p>I&#39;ve been dying to write those two words for weeks now, but as sick as I&#39;ve been it just didn&#39;t seem real until we went for an ultrasound this week. Baby #3 is on his/her way, and as happy as we are, I just wish I wasn&#39;t so sick all the time. You&#39;d think I&#39;d have the hang of this pregnancy thing by now, but no. It&#39;s the hardest one so far. By FAR. </p><p>But it&#39;s OK, because look! Baby legs!</p><p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0112797cd0ff28a4-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"C50f\" border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0112797cd0ff28a4  at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39995970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39995970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"C50f\" /></a>\n</p><p>(Those of you who know me in real life - the mystery of why I&#39;ve been completely blowing everyone off, not returning calls, or why my face is a lovely shade of green is finally solved.)</p><p>(I also want to thank my editors for not firing me. I haven&#39;t been able to write anything that didn&#39;t say &quot;OMG!! I&#39;m pregnant!&quot; and they&#39;ve been extremely patient with me. Thanks!)</p><p>So this will be baby #3.&#0160; Wow. We can&#39;t even wrap our heads around that: Three kids. My husband and I will be outnumbered. We&#39;ll have to buy another chair for the kitchen table. </p><p>Oh, let&#39;s face it: We&#39;re doomed.</p><p>Things will change around here, that&#39;s for sure. The hardest thing to accept? I had a dream that I bought a minivan, and I liked it.</p>\n','There\'s Something I\'ve Been Dying to Tell You...','\n','publish','open','open','','theres-something-ive-been-dying-to-tell-you','','','2009-03-19 18:00:39','2009-03-19 18:00:39','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=264',0,'post','',38),(265,1,'2009-03-12 16:27:51','2009-03-12 16:27:51','<p>It just occurred to me as I was trying to come up with <em>something </em>to write for work (what? You try writing about Marc Jacobs when your mind is elsewhere) that I haven&#39;t talked about my kids in quite a while. In fact, I haven&#39;t said much of anything here in a while. </p><p>(What? You try blogging about nothing when your mind is elsewhere.)</p><p>Anyways: The boys.</p><p>You might remember that we want our children to speak both Spanish and German (English is a given) to reflect our heritage. It&#39;s going pretty well if I do say so myself. (When I say &quot;pretty well&quot; I don&#39;t want you to think that our house is some sort of multilingual wonderland where we flow in and out of languages seamlessly. No. It&#39;s actually pretty messy and chaotic and I forget which language I&#39;m using with whom mid-sentence more times than I&#39;d care to admit but, hey! At least we&#39;re trying!) Both boys can say and understand a few things in both languages, but most importantly, they know that there is such a thing as different languages and they know that it&#39;s natural to speak more than one. </p><p>(SCORE!)</p><p>I find it incredibly interesting that each child seems to be more fluent in one language over the other, and that each one of their personalities seem to match the stereotype of the culture usually associated with the language. Isn&#39;t that interesting?</p><p>My preschooler is neat, logical, and never forgets anything. I can give him a sharpie and leave him alone in a room safe in the knowledge that he will not stain the walls or the white couch. He prefers German.</p><p>My toddler is charismatic, talkative, and is generous with affection. He loves being around new people and finds the rhythm in anything. He prefers Spanish.</p><p>I wish I was making this up. *I* don&#39;t fit the Spanish-speaker stereotype half the time, and my husband doesn&#39;t fit the &quot;German&quot; stereotype either...but it seems like our children do. I guess things will change as their personalities become more complex, but for now, it just makes me laugh.</p>\n','Stereotypically Speaking','\n','publish','open','open','','stereotypically-speaking','','','2009-03-12 16:27:51','2009-03-12 16:27:51','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=265',0,'post','',2),(266,1,'2009-03-03 15:04:21','2009-03-03 15:04:21','<p>Maybe it&#39;s because I&#39;ve moved so much, or maybe everyone does this, but I tend to get very sentimental about the history of the places I&#39;ve lived in. What I don&#39;t know is why it took so long for me to figure out that I live smack in between the homes of <a href=\"http://www.wellesleywestonmagazine.com/summer08/hometown_poets.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Anne Sexton and Sylvia Plath</a>. </p><p>Really, I should just return my B.A. in English and call it a day.</p><p>More specifically, I live and work and play near the house where a teenage Sylvia Plath attempted suicide (under the front porch) and the house where a defeated Anne Sexton put on her mother&#39;s fur, locked herself up in the garage and started the car. Pretty morbid, I know, but it&#39;s the truth. Of course, what&#39;s more interesting is what they did while alive. A lot of it was done around me.</p><p>The homes are still there. The bookstore that they both frequented is still there, but it&#39;s an antique store now. The Howard Johnson&#39;s is a fancy restaurant. But they still stand, and I&#39;ve been inside of them countless times. I&#39;m amazed that I swim at the same &quot;beach&quot; they swam at, I look at the same houses as I run my errands that they looked out as they lived their lives. </p><p>Yet, we&#39;re so different. Our lives are so different. They were unhappy, and for the most part, I am not. But I now feel a strange solidarity to them. (This snowy winter may have something to do with it.) Now that I live in one of those plain houses in <em>Her Kind</em>, I finally get it.</p><pre><em>HER KIND<br />I have gone out, a possessed witch,<br />haunting the black air, braver at night;<br />dreaming evil, I have done my hitch<br />over the plain houses, light by light:<br />lonely thing, twelve-fingered, out of mind.<br />A woman like that is not a woman, quite.<br />I have been her kind.<br /><br />I have found the warm caves in the woods,<br />filled them with skillets, carvings, shelves,<br />closets, silks, innumerable goods;<br />fixed the suppers for the worms and the elves:<br />whining, rearranging the disaligned.<br />A woman like that is misunderstood.<br />I have been her kind.<br /><br />I have ridden in your cart, driver,<br />waved my nude arms at villages going by,<br />learning the last bright routes, survivor<br />where your flames still bite my thigh<br />and my ribs crack where your wheels wind.<br />A woman like that is not ashamed to die.<br />I have been her kind.</em><br /><em><br />--Anne Sexton</em><br /><br /></pre>\n','Ghosts','\n','publish','open','open','','ghosts','','','2009-03-03 15:04:21','2009-03-03 15:04:21','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=266',0,'post','',2),(267,1,'2009-02-13 15:26:47','2009-02-13 15:26:47','<p>I spent the morning at my son&#39;s preschool - we were busy celebrating both Valentine&#39;s day and his birthday (which is actually next week, but next week is February vacation - so he will never have school on his actual birthday for as long as we live in Boston. You&#39;re welcome, son.)</p><p>Seeing the children&#39;s delight at exchanging little paper hearts managed to melt my own frosty little heart, and the fact that I brought chocolate cupcakes for the kids to decorate with colored frosting and that then we all sang Happy Birthday to my boy, and he got to blow out the big candle shaped like a &quot;4&quot; on his own cupcake - well, that made my day.</p><p>My needs are simpler than I ever imagined.</p><p>Next week: 20+ kids take over my house for the real birthday party. I&#39;m&#0160; not going to lie: I was in a panic at the thought of all those kids in my house. That is, until today.</p>\n','Today','\n','publish','open','open','','today','','','2009-02-13 15:26:47','2009-02-13 15:26:47','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=267',0,'post','',0),(268,1,'2009-02-06 14:14:46','2009-02-06 14:14:46','<p>From Facebook. I caved in to peer pressure:</p><p>1.	I have dual citizenship. So do my kids.</p><p>\n2.	I’m a night owl. My children are early birds. This is, as they say, Not Good.</p><p>\n3.	I have two favorite numbers: 4 and 9. My phone number and address include both these numbers and I take it as a good sign.</p><p>\n4.	I can’t parallel park. Yes, I think it is shameful. </p><p>\n5.	I learned to read at 3, so I got to skip first grade. Woo-hoo!</p><p>\n6.	On a related note, I graduated from high school at sixteen, and graduated from college at twenty. I am special.</p><p>\n7. I didn’t speak a word of English until I was in fourth grade. This\nis why I don’t stress out about speaking Spanish to my kids\nexclusively. They’ll get it. They’ll have no choice.</p><p>\n8. I speak fluent high school French - not to be confused with actual\nFrench. (Let me prove it to you: Où est la bibliotheque? - SEE?)</p><p>\n9.	I’m blind as a bat. My contact lens prescription is -6.50 and -5.75. I’m afraid to get Lasik.</p><p>\n10.	I have to shower every morning. It wakes me up. I’s sooner give up my morning coffee than my morning shower.</p><p>\n11.	I don&#39;t watch much TV - except for Gossip Girl and Mad Men. </p><p>\n12.	When I was little, I wanted to be a zoologist.</p><p>\n13.	I hate snow and ice with a fervent passion. Why do we live in Boston, you ask? EXCELLENT question.</p><p>\n14.	I will never turn down dark chocolate. Ever. Give me a brownie and I will love you. Forever.</p><p>\n15.	Macaroni and cheese is nice, but my preferred comfort food is rice and beans with picadillo.</p><p>\n16.	I will eat anything if it has figs in it.</p><p>\n17.	I like paper: Books, newspapers and letters</p><p>\n18. I haven’t made my kid’s baby books, and I live in constant fear of\na hard drive failure that will erase their baby pictures forever.</p><p>\n19.	You know how in German the word “mädchen” (young girl) is genderless? That bothers me. </p><p>\n20.	I don’t understand the need for children’s menus, or kid food. Sorry. Food is food. </p><p>\n21.	I don’t trust women that don’t have close female friends.</p><p>\n22.	I’m grossed out by frozen dinners - stuff like Stouffers or Lean Cuisine. Blech.</p><p>\n23.	Know what else is gross? Oysters. Eww...</p><p>\n24.	When I was little, I wanted to have curly hair. Now I love my straight hair, because I am lazy. </p><p>\n25.	I still wear my retainer. </p>\n','25 Random Things','\n','publish','open','open','','25-random-things','','','2009-02-06 14:14:46','2009-02-06 14:14:46','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=268',0,'post','',5),(269,1,'2009-02-01 13:07:00','2009-02-01 13:07:00','<p>I own an iPhone. I own a Macbook. I also have an iMac g5 sitting on my desk, it&#39;s very pretty. If I get bored of my computers, I can always borrow my husband&#39;s Thinkpad. He also has a Blackberry Curve I use from time to time. </p><p>But all I really want is an old-fashioned manual typewriter.</p>\n','The Truth','\n','publish','open','open','','the-truth','','','2009-02-01 13:07:00','2009-02-01 13:07:00','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=269',0,'post','',6),(270,1,'2009-01-20 10:05:12','2009-01-20 10:05:12','<p>\n</p><p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef010536e5cc99970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"float: right;\"><img alt=\"ShepPin\" border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef010536e5cc99970c  at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce16f970b\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce16f970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"margin: 5px; width: 225px;\" title=\"ShepPin\" /></a>\nHappy Inaugural Day! Isn&#39;t it exciting?</p><p>One of the things I love about Obama is his message of change and how that change is up to us. That means you and me.</p><p>Can you think of a better way to celebrate our new president than by<a href=\"http://change.gov/americaserves/\"> </a><a href=\"http://change.gov/americaserves/\">heeding his call to service</a>? I don&#39;t mean &quot;someday&quot;, I mean RIGHT NOW?&#0160; </p><p>(Wait! Don&#39;t go away! I promise it&#39;s easy and you can make a big difference by doing something borderline ridiculous.) </p><p>Quaker is kicking off an anti-hunger initiative called <a href=\"http://www.startwithsubstance.com\">Start with Substance</a>. Their goal: To donate 1 million bowls of oatmeal to people who need it. </p><p>In honor of this program, the lovely people at Quaker are donating a case of oatmeal to the charity of my choice. Awesome, right? Just wait - it can get better, and it all depends on you. </p><p>My case of oatmeal is going to the <a href=\"http://www.elizabethstonehouse.org/about-us/main.aspx\">Elizabeth Stone House</a> - an organization here in Boston that empowers women and children who take that courageous first step to escape domestic violence. Sometimes women stay in abusive homes because they and their children have nowhere else to go - and that&#39;s where ESH steps in. They do everything from providing emergency housing and meals (oatmeal!), to teaching life skills that help these families break the cycle of violence. In their words:</p><p style=\"margin-left: 40px;\"><em>The Elizabeth Stone House is committed to doing more than simply\nproviding a safe space for women and children in need. If for example,\na woman comes to us fleeing a batterer, it isn&#39;t enough for us to\nprovide her with emergency shelter. We have to help her regain her\nsense of self, support her in her efforts to remain sober if she is\nstruggling with substance abuse, provide help with her children, and\nguide her as she tries to straighten out her finances. <br /></em></p><p>Talk about change you can believe in. These are good people doing good work. </p><p>Here&#39;s where it gets <em>real</em> good: In addition to giving away oatmeal, Quaker has challenged 25 bloggers to get as many people as possible to post pictures of themselves with the Quaker Oats Man on Quaker&#39;s Facebook page. If we (that&#39;s you and I) win the challenge, Quaker will write a <strong>$5,000 check </strong>to the <a href=\"http://www.elizabethstonehouse.org/\">Elizabeth Stone House</a>.</p><p>Just think of how much good that money will do. And all you have to do is post a picture on Facebook - one like this:</p><p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef010536e5c004970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"Photo 31\" border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef010536e5c004970c  at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce176970b\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce176970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"width: 400px;\" title=\"Photo 31\" /></a>\n</p><p>Easy, right? I KNOW you&#39;ve done sillier things on Facebook. And you&#39;ve got to admit this <em>totally</em> beats Zombies.</p><p>Care to join me?</p><p>Here&#39;s how you can help:</p><p>1. Visit <a href=\"http://www.startwithsubstance.com/\">Start with Substance</a> to get to Quaker&#39;s Facebook page and become a fan. (Don&#39;t forget to read the <a href=\"http://startwithsubstance.com/terms.html\">official rules</a>!)</p><p>2. <a href=\"http://starwithsubstance.com/quaker_man.pdf\">Download a picture of the Quaker Man</a>, print it out, and take a picture of yourself and/or your family with it. (You can have fun, but keep it wholesome please! We&#39;re talking oatmeal here.)</p><p>3. <a href=\"http://www.facebook.com/Quaker#/photo_search.php?oid=58028250774&amp;view=all\">Upload your picture to the fan photo page</a>, grab the link (<a href=\"mailto:everydaytreats@gmail.com\">Send me an email if you need help</a>) and <strong>leave a comment here </strong>with the link to your picture. (That&#39;s a lot of steps, I know. But look at all the wonderful people that have done their part already. JOIN US.)</p><p>4. Pictures and links must be posted in the next 24 hours so that Elizabeth Stone House gets credit. That means we have until 9 AM CST tomorrow, but why wait? Do it now!&#0160; </p><p>In addition, Quaker will send a $1.00 coupon to two of you as a thank you (I&#39;ll do a random drawing), but I suspect that&#39;s not why you&#39;re doing this. Let&#39;s get that<strong> $5,000 check</strong> to those women and children so they can have a safer tomorrow.</p>\n','The Big O','\n','publish','open','open','','the-big-o','','','2009-01-20 10:05:12','2009-01-20 10:05:12','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=270',0,'post','',4),(271,1,'2009-01-18 13:47:33','2009-01-18 13:47:33','<p>You guys, being snowed in has seriously put a crimp on things to tell you. I&#39;ve run out of things to do with the kids (my newly NON-napping kids) so you can just imagine how happy I&#39;ve been lately. </p><p>However, here are three things that make me smile - because if I think too much about the weather I&#39;ll cry:</p><p><strong>1.</strong> <a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/the_diary_of_a_reluctant_/2009/01/playing-ketchup.html\">This episode of 30 Rock</a> cracks me up because it&#39;s true. Anyone that shows up at a Hispanic family event will be handed an overdressed baby and a plate of food. It&#39;s just the way it is. Also? &quot;It&#39;s OK, you were not being rude, you were just being stupid,&quot; is my new favorite way to accept apologies from jerks. HA!</p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>2. </strong>My new spring dress.<a href=\"http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Browse/WomenBrowse/Women_Shop_By_Category/dresses/knitdresses/PRDOVR%7E91099/91099.jsp\"> Isn&#39;t it lovely?</a> I know shopping&#39;s not the thing right now, but I needed something to give me hope that I&#39;ll be able to wear flip flops again ... someday! I&#39;m hoping that by buying something so hopelessly out of season I&#39;ll give Mother Nature a nudge in the right direction. And it&#39;s convertible! It&#39;s like buying two dresses and a skirt for the price of one! I know that I&#39;m totally being virtuous and delusional all at once. Let me be.</p><p><strong>3. </strong>My 21 month-old has discarded his beloved Ernie doll: </p><p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2735375439/\" title=\"Ernie! by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"Ernie!\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa3a0c8970c\" height=\"500\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa3a0c8970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"334\" /></a></p><p>Instead, he has made an empty Prosecco bottle his lovey of choice. I&#39;m not even kidding - he dug it out of the recycling bin one day and will not let go, which is slightly alarming and, well, not surprising knowing our habits.</p><p>This sounds weird I know, but it&#39;s all very age appropriate and adorable - he calls it Papa and hugs it in a meaningful way. The fact that he sits on the couch and pretends to drink from it - he puts it to his lips and tilts his head back giggling the entire time, like a miniature drunken aristocrat - could give some people pause I&#39;m sure, but I can assure you it&#39;s not like you think. The bottle&#39;s completely empty, this I know for sure. In this house, adult beverage bottles don&#39;t go into the recycling bin until they&#39;ve been sucked dry. Do we look like the kind of people who would waste perfectly good bubbly? That would be shameful. </p>\n','Playing Ketchup','\n','publish','open','open','','playing-ketchup','','','2009-01-18 13:47:33','2009-01-18 13:47:33','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=271',0,'post','',3),(272,1,'2009-01-13 10:18:58','2009-01-13 10:18:58','<p>Guess who was going to &quot;write more&quot; in &#39;09?</p><p>I don&#39;t know what it is about this year, but I&#39;ve had a hell of time trying to even come up with one concrete thing I want to accomplish. I keep writing things down and then erasing them - I guess 2009 is destined to be a wash.</p><p>(I don&#39;t really believe that.) </p><p>I do know that I don&#39;t want this year to just fly by with nothing to show for it. And I also know that I am a certified resolution-maker. I make resolutions, I keep most of them. It&#39;s what I do. So why can&#39;t I decide what I want from this year?</p><p>At first I was going to try creating one good habit a month. January&#39;s &quot;habit&quot; was going to be &quot;waking up early&quot; but its corollary habit, which is &quot;going to bed early,&quot; is keeping me from fully committing. Waking up early is as easy as setting an alarm clock - it&#39;s the going to bed early part that&#39;s hard.</p><p>I also want to write 100 pages of a manuscript I&#39;ve had rattling around my brain for a couple of years now. Don&#39;t worry, it has nothing to do with blogging or motherhood. It&#39;s nonfiction, aaand that&#39;s all I can say for now. Why 100 pages? Because I want to have something that I can show someone to see if it&#39;s something anyone would be interested in buying, of course. </p><p>Vague enough for you?</p><p>There is no conclusion to this post. There&#39;s no point to it. I just don&#39;t know what I want to do this year. Blargh.</p>\n','Breaking resolutions before I make them','\n','publish','open','open','','breaking-resolutions-before-i-make-them','','','2009-01-13 10:18:58','2009-01-13 10:18:58','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=272',0,'post','',7),(273,1,'2009-01-03 15:30:16','2009-01-03 15:30:16','<p>Proust didn&#39;t invent this questionnaire - it was a <a href=\"http://www.chick.net/proust/question.html\">popular parlor game</a> back in his day. Nowadays, only the <a href=\"http://www.vanityfair.com/archives/features/proust\">rich and famous</a> do it. I wanted to do it too. </p><p>So I did. </p><p>.....</p><p><em><strong>What is your idea of perfect happiness?</strong></em></p><p>Depends on my mood: If I’m feeling social, a cocktail party. If I’m not, a stay at a fancy hotel on somebody else’s dime.</p><p><em><strong>What is your greatest fear?</strong></em></p><p>Driving in downtown Boston.</p><p><em><strong>What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?</strong></em></p><p>My incredible ability to procrastinate. I even procrastinate the things I want to do. It doesn’t make sense. I have to work on that.</p><p><em><strong>What is the trait you most deplore in others?</strong></em></p><p>I have no patience for bullies of any age.</p><p><em><strong>Which living person do you most admire?</strong></em></p><p>My mom.</p><p><em><strong>What is your greatest extravagance?</strong></em></p><p>Organic food and cashmere.</p><p><em><strong>What is your current state of mind?</strong></em></p><p>Dreamy.</p><p><em><strong>What do you consider the most overrated virtue?</strong></em></p><p>The ability to multitask. I’d much rather have the ability to truly live in the moment.</p><p><em><strong>On what occasion do you lie?</strong></em></p><p>Rarely. Lying is hard work. But I am very diplomatic.</p><p><em><strong>What do you most dislike about your appearance?</strong></em></p><p>My stretch marks. I know they’re supposed to be my battle scars and I should wear them bravely, but if I could erase them, I would.</p><p><em><strong>Which living person do you most despise?</strong></em></p><p>Anyone who knowingly hurts the vulnerable - unfortunately that’s a lot of people. </p><p><em><strong>What is the quality you most like in a man?</strong></em></p><p>Kindness.</p><p><em><strong>What is the quality you most like in a woman?</strong></em></p><p>The same - kindness.</p><p><em><strong>Which words or phrases do you most overuse?</strong></em></p><p>“On the other hand...“</p><p><em><strong>What or who is the greatest love of your life?</strong></em></p><p>My husband.</p><p><em><strong>When and where were you happiest?</strong></em></p><p>The first euphoric hours after giving birth to my kids. I try to recall that feeling whenever I need to remember how happiness feels.</p><p><em><strong>Which talent would you most like to have?</strong></em></p><p>I wish I was a ballet dancer. They do incredibly difficult things in the name of beauty, and make it look so easy.</p><p><em><strong>If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?</strong></em></p><p>There are many things I wish I could change. I’m always working on something.</p><p><em><strong>What do you consider your greatest achievement?</strong></em></p><p>My education. I’m not afraid to try anything, because I know I can learn how.</p><p><em><strong>If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?</strong></em></p><p>Myself, but wiser.</p><p><em><strong>Where would you most like to live?</strong></em></p><p>Rome.</p><p><em><strong>What is your most treasured possession?</strong></em></p><p>My laptop. It holds everything. I should back it up.</p><p><em><strong>What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?</strong></em></p><p>Jealousy.</p><p><em><strong>What is your favorite occupation?</strong></em></p><p>Writing about frivolous things.</p><p><em><strong>What is your most marked characteristic?</strong></em></p><p>I’m terrible at returning emails and phone calls.</p><p><em><strong>What do you most value in your friends?</strong></em></p><p>Patience.</p><p><em><strong>Who are your favorite writers?</strong></em></p><p>Julia Alvarez, Sandra Cisneros, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Jeffrey Eugenides.</p><p><em><strong>Who is your hero of fiction?</strong></em></p><p>J. Alfred Prufrock.</p><p><em><strong>Which historical figure do you most identify with?</strong></em></p><p>I’d like to identify with Coco Chanel. I love her fierce independence.</p><p><em><strong>Who are your heroes in real life?</strong></em></p><p>Parents. </p><p><em><strong>What are your favorite names?</strong></em></p><p>Easy: Lucas, Sebastian and Benjamin.</p><p><em><strong>What is it that you most dislike?</strong></em></p><p>Folding and putting away laundry. Ironing. Grocery shopping. But I like pretty clothes and I like cooking and eating, so they must be done.</p><p><em><strong>What is your greatest regret?</strong></em></p><p>I once had two job offers and I took the boring job instead of the one I really wanted because I thought it would be ”good for me.“ That was stupid and I will never make that mistake again. </p><p><em><strong>How would you like to die?</strong></em></p><p>At peace with my life.</p><p><em><strong>What is your motto?</strong></em></p><p>”In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.” (Thank you, Coco Chanel!)</p>\n','I answer the Proust Questionnaire','\n','publish','open','open','','i-answer-the-proust-questionnaire','','','2009-01-03 15:30:16','2009-01-03 15:30:16','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=273',0,'post','',5),(274,1,'2009-01-01 14:07:34','2009-01-01 14:07:34','<p>We&#39;re back from our Christmas vacation in Miami - as evidenced by the many pictures of pink flamingos and festive decorations on this post.</p>\n<p></p><p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3154795470/\" title=\"DSC_0329.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0329.JPG\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39d32970c\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39d32970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3154799606/\" title=\"DSC_0053.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0053.JPG\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39d43970c\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39d43970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p><em>(These work better when it&#39;s cold outside - in Florida, the candy just sliiiides down.)</em></p><p>It doesn&#39;t matter how many times I&#39;ve driven on the Rickenbacker, I always do a little gasp on the approach to Miami Beach and fall in love with my hometown when we&#39;re headed back home all salty and toasted amidst the palm trees swaying in the warm December breeze:</p><p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3154263955/\" title=\"IMG_0166 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"IMG_0166\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39d5a970c\" height=\"500\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39d5a970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"375\" /></a></p><p>My mom&#39;s Christmas tree:</p><p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3153961231/\" title=\"DSC_0205.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0205.JPG\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39d83970c\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39d83970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p>I can guarantee that I will NEVER have a snowman on my tree - because I have a foot of snow outside my door AT THIS VERY MINUTE and you can&#39;t pay me to make one. I guess you always want what you can&#39;t have!</p><p>Of course, there was more to our vacation than <em>Nochebuena</em> and the beach. I also got to hang out with fellow latin superstar Diego Marquéz: </p><p></p><p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3153957367/\" title=\"DSC_0344.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0344.JPG\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39da0970c\" height=\"500\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39da0970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"334\" /></a></p><p>This being Miami, Diego was salsa dancing with his handler as I brought the kids over. My son wanted nothing to do with this culturally accurate Diego. I think he prefers the Nick Jr. version. </p><p>All in all, a wholesome family vacation.</p><p>And then there was Rock Band.</p><p>My brother and SIL are known for their Rock Band parties. They’ve told us about how they and their friends dress up in their best rock star finery and all about the “Battle of the Bands” competitions they wage. Competitions over a VIDEO GAME. That’s, like, a step beneath a Star Trek convention, except that there’s beer involved.</p><p>We not-so-secretly laughed at their geekiness. I mean - a video game party? COME ON.</p><p>But then they invited us over to see what all the excitement was about. We picked up some Miller Beer (not Miller Genuine draft, mind you - we picked up “the champagne of beers” otherwise known as “the cheap stuff“) and showed up at their house. What we found was my brother tapping away at a plastic drum set-looking thing, a plastic guitar at his feet and a mike on the couch.</p><p>He was, in his words, ”warming up.“ HA HA HA.</p><p>We shyly watched him and them more people arrived. And they brought strobe lights, and a bass guitar, a mic stand, and a smoke machine that was synchronized to the music. Let me repeat that - the strobe lights AND the smoke machine machine were synchronized to the music. And the music was loud. And my brother’s TV is like 100 inches big. And I drank some Miller beer. And some orange juice. Spiked with Malibu.</p><p>I think don’t need to tell you what happened next:</p><p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3154802642/\" title=\"DSC_0239.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0239.JPG\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39db9970c\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39db9970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p><em>(That&#39;s me in the scarf. You know, the one taking the lyrics to &quot;American Woman&quot; a little bit too seriously.)</em></p><p>(But, guess who got a 96% score? THAT&#39;S RIGHT.)</p><p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3155080416/\" title=\"DSC_0237.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0237.JPG\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39dde970c\" height=\"365\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39dde970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a><br />Rock on, man.</p><p>Let me just tell you this: If you are Of A Certain Age you will find yourself wailing ”Living on a Prayer“ and ”You Oughta Know“ and the Rock Star software will tell you that you are awesome, so you will want to sing ”Creep“ and ”Buddy Holly“ and OMG THEY HAVE JOURNEY AND JIMMY BUFFET! and you will have to be forcibly removed from the microphone.</p><p>Ahem.</p><p>Which is fine, because then you will play the guitar on Bon Jovi’s ”Dead or Alive“ and you will believe that you’re Ricky Sambora. And you will declare to the world that you ARE A ROCKSTAR.</p>\n','Rockstar','\n','publish','open','open','','rockstar','','','2009-01-01 14:07:34','2009-01-01 14:07:34','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=274',0,'post','',10),(275,1,'2008-12-20 06:19:41','2008-12-20 06:19:41','<p>I&#39;m writing this from sunny Miami. Hello!</p><p>We&#39;re here to visit family for the holidays. I swear it has NOTHING to do with the great weather. No, not at all. </p><p>Last year, I wrote about my conflicted feelings <a href=\"http://newenglandmamas.typepad.com/new_england_mamas/2007/12/of-sandcastles.html\">about missing out on a white Christmas</a>. I was feeling the same way this year as I dug through out of season clothes to pack for the kids. I was really getting upset that we wouldn&#39;t be using our fireplace and that we didn&#39;t decorate - yet again.</p><p>Then we got that messy snowfall last week - the kind of snow that isn&#39;t picturesque in the least, the kind that makes for messy driving and slippery walks. It falls heavy and hard and clings to your spirit and smothers it under its icy weight. It was the first snowfall of the year that stuck AND it was the day I was assigned to work at my son&#39;s preschool. Let me tell you, for someone that thinks the fact that I have to put on socks everyday now (oh my God the EXTRA TIME IT TAKES!) it was the last straw.</p><p>And! More snow was predicted for Friday! I have never been happier to get on a plane with two small kids. I&#39;m completely serious.</p><p>So we flew out on Thursday - when the walks were icy but the sky was clear - and landed safely in Florida before the first Big! Storm! of! Doom! arrived. Talk about timing. I&#39;m glad we missed out on the fun - from what I understand the snow wasn&#39;t as bad as expected, just picturesque, and most of you have stocked up on food and rum. So I&#39;m assuming you&#39;re all good.</p><p>I&#39;ll be back <a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/the_diary_of_a_reluctant_/2008/01/i-knowsnow-in-n.html\">to this</a> soon enough, so for now I&#39;ll pig out on latin food and let the balmy breezes melt me away.</p>\n','Tropical lights','\n','publish','open','open','','tropical-lights','','','2008-12-20 06:19:41','2008-12-20 06:19:41','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=275',0,'post','',4),(276,1,'2008-12-16 10:48:21','2008-12-16 10:48:21','<p>The economy sucks. We&#39;re all stressed out about it - I know I am. But I&#39;m so not stressed out about Christmas. </p><p>Am I the only one who doesn&#39;t mind that Christmas is less about giving that big &quot;must-have&quot; gift this year? I find it liberating. </p><p>I love everything about the Christmas season, except for the whole pressure to shop thing.</p><p>Now, even a cursory glance at this blog will make it obvious that I have no problems with shopping or with owning nice things, but I do have a problem with this pressure to buy, buy, buy in the name of what is, to me, a religious holiday. It just seems wrong. I prefer to do my shopping when the mood strikes, which to be honest, is often. It&#39;s just that I don&#39;t need Macy&#39;s telling me that I have to fight the crowds to buy more stuff in time to make the tree look like the one at the mall.</p><p>Of course, it&#39;s easy for me to say this because for Latin people Christmas is a time about not working, partying with your family and getting drunk (oh, and going to midnight Mass on Christmas Eve - the only time I happily go to church because I find singing &quot;Silent Night&quot; by candlelight soothing and magical.)</p><p>I much prefer the simple gifts. I know it&#39;s a cliche, but it&#39;s true. I also don&#39;t like the sights of crazed children opening gift after gift on Christmas morning. I do like the way a child&#39;s face lights up when they get that one thing they always wanted. I know that children love presents, but I don&#39;t go overboard on Christmas. I don&#39;t think my kids will be deprived if they don&#39;t have the latest electronic gizmo. Sure, I listen extra carefully this time of the year and try to figure out what it is that they really want and make sure it&#39;s under the tree. They&#39;re kids, after all. Usually what they want is something very simple - or so ridiculously impossible that you can&#39;t do anything about it. </p><p>This year, all my three year old wants is a Spiderman DVD and to meet Barack Obama. I can&#39;t give him everything (unless one of you has excellent connections and wants to perform a Christmas miracle of presidential proportions), but I can look for a DVD. So now I&#39;m on a quest to find something age appropriate. NOT EASY. But also? Not expensive.</p><p>I didn&#39;t write this to criticize people who like to give and receive a lot of gifts - I&#39;m just sharing how I do it. (We do the big gifts on birthdays. Birthdays are where we go all out.) I just hope that everyone that celebrates the holidays stops to enjoy them. (I mean all of them, not just mine.) </p><p>It&#39;s not just about the presents. It&#39;s about the cookies and the booze too.</p>\n','The Most Wonderful Time of the Year','\n','publish','open','open','','the-most-wonderful-time-of-the-year','','','2008-12-16 10:48:21','2008-12-16 10:48:21','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=276',0,'post','',5),(277,1,'2008-12-12 14:25:17','2008-12-12 14:25:17','<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef010536578b0d970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"Winnerrandom(2)\" border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef010536578b0d970b image-full  at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39ac0970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39ac0970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"Winnerrandom(2)\" /></a>&#0160;\n</span></p><p>Congratulations to commenter #74, <a href=\"http://thebookishone.blogspot.com/\">Major Bedhead</a>, who can finally put down the Vaseline:<em><br /><strong><span id=\"comment-header-6a00d8341db04e53ef01053654ee72970b-left\"></span></strong></em></p><div style=\"margin-left: 40px;\"><em>\nIt seems to be the popular choice, but I&#39;d go for the Bourbon Vanilla, too. </em><em><span id=\"comment-6a00d8341db04e53ef01053654ee72970b-content\">\n\n<p>Out here in the western part of the state, it seems that something\nis sucking all the moisture out of my skin. I&#39;ve had to resort to\nstraight Vaseline to get any relief. Which makes for slippery going,\nlet me tell you. </p></span></em></div><div class=\"comment-content\"><em><span id=\"comment-6a00d8341db04e53ef01053654ee72970b-content\"> </span></em>\n</div><p>Don&#39;t apologize - I chose the Vanilla as well! The lovely people at Shea Terra Organics will have your Bourbon Vanilla set on its way.</p><p>I&#39;d like to thank all of you for entering this giveaway - your comments were great! As a added thank you, Shea Terra Organics has a special deal for you:</p><p>Use the code <strong>organicholiday</strong> anytime between December 12, 2008 and January 1, 2009 to receive <em><strong>30% off everything</strong></em> at <a href=\"http://www.sheaterraorganics.com/\">sheaterraorganics.com</a>!</p>\n','We have a winner!','\n','publish','open','open','','we-have-a-winner','','','2008-12-12 14:25:17','2008-12-12 14:25:17','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=277',0,'post','',1),(278,1,'2008-12-09 10:19:03','2008-12-09 10:19:03','<p>When the nice people at Shea Terra Organics offered to send me some of their products to try, I said &quot;sure!&quot; because, well, I&#39;m not stupid.&#0160; I love beauty products (who doesn&#39;t!) and their stuff promises to be loaded with Shea Butter - I live in Boston and it is now winter, so my skin is a peeling, flaking mess.</p><p>I got a HUGE box of stuff to try and...that&#39;s all I&#39;ll say because I don&#39;t do reviews here. BUT...here&#39;s a hint: I told them that I&#39;d love to share their products with my friends - and they offered to sponsor a giveaway right here.</p><p>Awesome, right?</p><p>If a company wants to give away <a href=\"http://www.sheaterraorganics.com/about/legacy.html\">luxurious, fair-trade, organic skincare </a>to you - who am I to say no?</p><p>I&#39;m a Libra, and thus terribly indecisive so I couldn&#39;t choose just one thing for you to try. So Shea Terra Organics has generously offered to let you choose your own prize - you can choose any <strong>one</strong> of these gift collections (each one retails for $48 and would make a great gift ... for yourself, or others.):</p><p></p><p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0105364b0a07970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"Be33b2008142083bfb316e26ff59ca56_preview\" border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0105364b0a07970b  at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce290970b\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce290970b-pi.jpg\" title=\"Be33b2008142083bfb316e26ff59ca56_preview\" /></a> </p><p> <a href=\"http://www.sheaterraorganics.com/product/24.html\">Miombio Mango Indigenous Shea Butter Gift Set</a></p><p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef010536531dd9970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"Aee121f2bab3a6bbcae2b0cb9e49a3e6_preview\" border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef010536531dd9970c  at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce295970b\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce295970b-pi.jpg\" title=\"Aee121f2bab3a6bbcae2b0cb9e49a3e6_preview\" /></a>&#0160;</p><p><a href=\"http://www.sheaterraorganics.com/product/15.html\">Pink Guava Pomegranate Indigenous Shea Butter Gift Set </a></p><p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef010536531ec7970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"268b556945cd54040c1347bdf12ad451_preview\" border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef010536531ec7970c  at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce29e970b\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce29e970b-pi.jpg\" title=\"268b556945cd54040c1347bdf12ad451_preview\" /></a>&#0160;</p><p><a href=\"http://www.sheaterraorganics.com/product/17.html\">Lavender of the Khoisan Indigenous Shea Butter Gift Set</a></p><p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0105364b0bf6970b-pi.jpg\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img alt=\"99ad6547857e6ddf47baeb54259bb66e_preview\" border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0105364b0bf6970b  at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce2a2970b\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce2a2970b-pi.jpg\" title=\"99ad6547857e6ddf47baeb54259bb66e_preview\" /></a>&#0160;</p><p><a href=\"http://www.sheaterraorganics.com/product/29.html\">Bourbon Vanilla Indigenous Shea Butter Gift Set</a></p><p>Oh, what to choose?</p><p>Isn&#39;t it nice to have to make these types of decisions? Have fun!</p><p></p><p>Here are the rules:</p><p><em>1. To enter, simply leave a comment on this post. Tell me which scent you want: Pink Guava Pomegranate, Lavender of the Khoisan, Miombo Mango, or Bourbon Vanilla. Be sure to leave a valid email address so I can contact you if you&#39;re the winner.<br /></em></p><p><em>2. Comments will close on Friday, December 12 at 12:01 AM.</em></p><p><em>3. Contest is open to US and Canadian addresses only. (Sorry!)</em></p><p>That&#39;s it! Good luck!</p><p> </p><p></p>\n','A LOVELY GIVEAWAY - Luxe and green bath and skincare gift set from Shea Terra Organic','\n','publish','closed','open','','a-lovely-giveaway-luxe-and-green-bath-and-skincare-gift-set-from-shea-terra-organic','','','2008-12-09 10:19:03','2008-12-09 10:19:03','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=278',0,'post','',81),(279,1,'2008-12-03 14:14:59','2008-12-03 14:14:59','<p>I finally understand the internet&#39;s obsession with Target. (What can I say? I&#39;m slow sometimes.)</p><p>The trick to enjoying Target is to go early on a weekday and (this is key) LEAVE THE HUSBAND AND KIDS AT HOME.</p><p>Duh. But a vast improvement over visiting on a Sunday with three whining males and a thirty-minute time limit. Ahem.</p><p>But if you get there on your own, it&#39;s just about the most magical place on earth. I spent a good part of an hour just looking at their purses - my God, their purse department is huge - and some of the bags look almost as nice as the &quot;real&quot; thing. (I&#39;m totally looking at you, <a href=\"http://www.target.com/Anya-Hindmarch-Target-Tote-Bag/dp/B001C48GD6/qid=1228334746/ref=br_1_4/182-6258520-0095549?ie=UTF8&amp;node=721063011&amp;frombrowse=1&amp;rh=&amp;page=1\">Anya Hindmarch tote</a>!) I almost bought one, but I ended up not buying one. I don&#39;t know why I&#39;m telling you this. Maybe I should get a medal?</p><p>Man, this recession sucks.</p>\n','Because Sometimes I am the Queen of the Obvious','\n','publish','open','open','','because-sometimes-i-am-the-queen-of-the-obvious','','','2008-12-03 14:14:59','2008-12-03 14:14:59','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=279',0,'post','',2),(280,1,'2008-11-30 05:56:00','2008-11-30 05:56:00','<p>Most of you know that our family is an international bunch. My husband&#39;s from a German-speaking country - that means we have easy access to some of the best chocolate in the world, and it also means that we have quite the collection of German-language kid&#39;s books. </p><p>Chocolate? Always good.</p><p>German children&#39;s books? Well...it depends.</p><p>Maybe Americans are raising a generation of wimps, I don&#39;t know, but I&#39;m pretty sure that I can pick up pretty much any American children&#39;s book and it&#39;ll be as bland as vanilla and full of positive lessons and happy endings. I don&#39;t mind. That is not the case with the books we get in Europe. To be fair, I don&#39;t speak German so I don&#39;t know if I&#39;m taking the pictures out of context, but some things are just obvious.</p><p>For instance, take this book:</p><p><br /><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3063071509/\" title=\"DSC_0064 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0064\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39c1f970c\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39c1f970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p>At first glance it looks like one of those busy illustrated books that toddlers love. I love them too, because they keep the kids busy - they love finding things in the illustrations and I can easily tell my kids what the things in the picture are. I do it in Spanish, because we like to keep the kids confused.</p><p>Anyways, my innocent three year old pointed at the picture of the group of kids in the school yard.</p><p><em>What are those kids doing?<br /><br /></em><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3063070365/\" title=\"DSC_0055 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0055\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39c3c970c\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39c3c970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p>I&#39;m a little bit blind, so I just told him that the kids were playing. You know, like he does at preschool.</p><p>Then I took a closer look at the illustration, and I realized that maybe? Telling him that was probably not the best idea.</p><p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3063908370/\" title=\"DSC_0060 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0060\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39c60970c\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39c60970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p>This illustration is the thing that school phobias and night terrors are made of.</p><p>Why are the little kids beating each other up?</p><p>Why is the &quot;doggie&quot; so angry?</p><p>Why is that lady just watching?</p><p>WHY?</p><p>I don&#39;t like those German story books. You should see the old-fashioned ones.</p>\n','Some things just don\'t translate very well...','\n','publish','open','open','','some-things-just-dont-translate-very-well','','','2008-11-30 05:56:00','2008-11-30 05:56:00','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=280',0,'post','',10),(281,1,'2008-11-27 08:15:26','2008-11-27 08:15:26','<p>Hello! I&#39;m spending the morning at Butterball headquarters - where many of you are calling wondering what to do with that frozen turkey. </p><p>(Don&#39;t panic! Call them and they&#39;ll tell you what to do!)</p><p><br /><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3063649412/\" title=\"DSC_0075 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0075\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce250970b\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce250970b-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a><br /><em>That&#39;s a chocolate turkey cake. It took all day to make.<br /></em></p><p>I&#39;m only here for a few hours, and then I&#39;m headed home to be with my kids and husband. I&#39;ll be home before naptime is over, so they&#39;ve hardly missed me. When I spoke to my three year-old this morning he sang the Banana Phone song and wanted to know if he could have sweets. It was 8 AM. I can&#39;t wait to see them, but I have to admit that this Thanksgiving is more exciting than any I can remember. (With <a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/the_diary_of_a_reluctant_/2008/11/how-i-met-my-hu.html\">one notable exception</a>, of course.)</p><p>I don&#39;t know about you, but I&#39;m not used to spending Thanksgiving morning with the <em>Today</em> show crew and the rockstar ladies that work here.</p><p><br /><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3062809423/\" title=\"DSC_0073 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0073\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce261970b\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce261970b-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p><em>I want to take those lights home. They make you look awesome.</em></p><p>It totally beats cooking.</p><p>Speaking of rockstars, let me introduce you to Marge:</p><p>&#0160;<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3063650194/\" title=\"DSC_0074 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0074\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce271970b\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce271970b-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p>I&#39;ve been following Marge around all day, because she just did the Conan O&#39;Brien show (<a href=\"http://www.hulu.com/watch/46227/late-night-with-conan-obrien-mon-nov-24-2008?c=895:1427\" target=\"_blank\">watch her in action here</a>) and Hugh Jackman was there that day. THE WOMAN MET HUGH JACKMAN. I&#39;m insanely jealous.</p><p>I think I&#39;ll have some cake. It&#39;ll make me feel better. </p><p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3063648254/\" title=\"DSC_0070 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0070\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce289970b\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce289970b-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p><p>Happy Thanksgiving!</p>\n','Thanksgiving morning','\n','publish','open','open','','thanksgiving-morning-2','','','2008-11-27 08:15:26','2008-11-27 08:15:26','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=281',0,'post','',3),(282,1,'2008-11-20 05:21:00','2008-11-20 05:21:00','<p>I love making lists. Packing lists, shopping lists, to-do lists...I am a list-making queen. I&#39;m also a world-class procrastinator, and don&#39;t think for a second that the two aren&#39;t related. Add in my innate laziness and a fancy new toy, and what you have is a recipe for disaster. </p><p>(Well, not really, because disaster implies that I managed to do something to screw things up. I guess what you really have is a recipe for...nothing.)</p><p>Case in point - my new phone. It&#39;s awesome. Great, even. But I soon learned that it doesn&#39;t display my to-do list from my iCal and I went into panic mode. How was I supposed to walk around without my to-do list? The one that I spend hours creating and revising and just looking at? It would not do! So I spent hours at the App store looking for a solution. </p><p>Did you know there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of to-do lists available for your phone? And that they all do the same thing - you know, list the things you need to do? You&#39;d think it would be an easy thing to do, choose one and move on. But, oh no, I had to spend time signing up for free accounts and testing and reading reviews and comments, and next thing I knew I had spent 3 hours looking for a to-do list application.</p><p>It doesn&#39;t make any sense. I could have done the same thing with a Post-It note. </p><p>(Better put that on the list.)</p><p>**********</p><p><em>On another note - are you cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year? <a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/miscellaneous/2008/11/national-turkey.html\" target=\"_blank\">Then you need to read this, because today is a VERY important day.</a></em></p><p><em>Also, go here to read my <a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/miscellaneous/2008/11/qa-with-carol-m.html\">Q&amp;A with one of my favorite people at Butterball. </a>She&#39;s funny. You&#39;ll love her too!</em></p><p></p>\n','The art of not getting anything done','\n','publish','open','open','','the-art-of-not-getting-anything-done','','','2008-11-20 05:21:00','2008-11-20 05:21:00','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=282',0,'post','',1),(283,1,'2008-11-17 21:58:30','2008-11-17 21:58:30','<p>So maybe you didn&#39;t get a chance to chat with me when I was at Butterball last week? (WHY? Were you too busy for me?) Maybe we didn&#39;t get to answer your question during last week&#39;s inaugural chat? (Sorry about that!) Or perhaps we&#39;re getting really close to Thanksgiving and all the procrastinators out there are starting to worry about next week&#39;s dinner.</p>\n\n<p>Well, lucky you. </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.notesfromthetrenches.com/\">Chris</a> will be in Chicago tomorrow answering your questions. You can chat with her from 12-2 EST by logging on to <a href=\"http://www.butterball.com/\">Butterball.com</a>. You read her blog, so you know she&#39;s funny and witty - now&#39;s your chance to chat with her. I have, and I can guarantee you that she&#39;s worth it.</p>\n\n<p>Have fun, Chris!</p>\n','Chat with Chris','\n','publish','open','open','','chat-with-chris','','','2008-11-17 21:58:30','2008-11-17 21:58:30','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=283',0,'post','',0),(284,1,'2008-11-16 21:53:15','2008-11-16 21:53:15','<p>No matter how long it&#39;s been since I&#39;ve had an office job, Sunday night is always bittersweet. Every day is pretty much the same for me, but I still can&#39;t get over that Sunday night feeling where you try to make the weekend last a little longer by trying a little harder. Too bad it never works. </p>\n','Sunday Night','\n','publish','open','open','','sunday-night','','','2008-11-16 21:53:15','2008-11-16 21:53:15','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=284',0,'post','',2),(285,1,'2008-11-15 21:24:28','2008-11-15 21:24:28','<p>I love it. </p>\n\n<p>The end.</p>\n\n<p>(A real post will come tomorrow. I&#39;m currently working on figuring out how my new phone works.)</p>\n\n<p>(Squee!)</p>\n','Guess who has an iPhone?','\n','publish','closed','open','','guess-who-has-an-iphone','','','2008-11-15 21:24:28','2008-11-15 21:24:28','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=285',0,'post','',0),(286,1,'2008-11-14 15:35:47','2008-11-14 15:35:47','<p>My favorite Thanksgiving memory has nothing to do with my childhood. Oh, we had a few wonderful Thanksgivings when I was a child - we celebrated it every once in a while when we were living in a country where November means &quot;beach season&quot; and they were still great in their own way - but I&#39;d be lying if I said that any one of them stood out. </p>\n\n<p>Instead, my most memorable Thanksgiving is the one where I met my husband. Forget Valentine&#39;s day - Thanksgiving is the most romantic time of the year for us. It&#39;s a little weird, but it works for us.</p>\n\n<p>It wasn&#39;t always that way, of course. When I was a carefree young professional, Thanksgiving meant a slow work week where we already had 2.5 days off - so a couple of girlfriends and I started the tradition of taking the entire week off work and when you&#39;re young and single and mostly broke, that can only mean one thing: ROAD TRIP!</p>\n\n<p>So that year, that&#39;s what we did. We drove on I95 for two days, and when we arrived in Washington DC it was the Saturday before Thanksgiving. The city was abuzz with young people out for one last night out before they headed home to be with their families. And that was the night I met my husband. </p>\n\n<p>We had just met, but he acted horrified by the fact that we didn&#39;t have any plans for Thanksgiving dinner. Weren&#39;t we Americans? (Yes.) Isn&#39;t that against the law? (No.) </p>\n\n<p>So he and two of his friends did what any good American boys would do - they invited us over for Thanksgiving dinner. </p>\n\n<p>Only thing is, my husband is not American. He&#39;s European. He&#39;d never cooked Thanksgiving dinner - or really, any dinner - before. </p>\n\n<p>Let&#39;s just say you should be thankful I&#39;m alive. </p>\n\n<p>(Oh I kid!)</p>\n\n<p>We had no other plans, and he&#39;s kind of cute, so we said yes. And then the guys went into panic mode, ordering a precooked turkey from Giant, buying napkins and candles, and - here&#39;s my favorite part - collecting assorted pieces of silverware from their various bachelor friends because they didn&#39;t have enough forks and spoons for a dinner for eight.</p>\n\n<p>Isn&#39;t that the cutest thing you ever heard?</p>\n\n<p>The best part is that when we arrived everything was perfect - there were candles and wine and they even invited other friends over so that we could meet new people. After a few glasses of wine one of my friends asked how much longer until the turkey was done.</p>\n\n<p>Done?</p>\n\n<p>In all the wining and chatting, they forgot to put the turkey in the oven! (Even &quot;pre-cooked&quot; turkeys need to go in the oven.)</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/11/06/564050_wishful_thinking_2.jpg\" onclick=\"window.open(this.href, &#39;_blank&#39;, &#39;width=300,height=224,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0&#39;); return false\"><img alt=\"564050_wishful_thinking_2\" border=\"0\" height=\"149\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/564050_wishful_thinking_2.jpg\" style=\"margin: 0px 0px 5px 5px; float: right;\" title=\"564050_wishful_thinking_2\" width=\"200\" /></a>\n\n</p>\n\n<p>Thankfully, my friend Andrea is a fantastic cook, and she somehow managed to save the day. The turkey was fine, but the best part was after dinner, when the man who would one day be my husband came over with the wishbone and asked me to make a wish.</p>\n\n\n\n<p> I did.&#0160; </p>\n\n<p>And it came true.</p>\n','How I met my husband...','\n','publish','open','open','','how-i-met-my-husband','','','2011-02-07 18:08:43','2011-02-07 18:08:43','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=286',0,'post','',11),(287,1,'2008-11-13 14:57:21','2008-11-13 14:57:21','<p>Maybe there&#39;s something wrong with me, but I read this article on <a href=\"http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2008/11/12/michelle_obama/index1.html\">Salon about the &quot;momification&quot; of Michelle Obama</a> and I don&#39;t get why the writer&#39;s so mad. So she&#39;s going to be in charge of the family&#39;s transition to Washington. So?</p><blockquote><p>It&#39;s Michelle&#39;s job because Daddy is going to be the president, and he\nhas to save the country and the world from an economic crisis and war,\nand so he might be too busy to come check out the new schools and\ndecorate their rooms and help with the dog. But the fact is, he seems\nto be a pretty good dad, and I bet he will do some of that stuff\nanyway. What rankles is the smooth and unquestioning assumptions by the\nmedia that the fallback position is to assign all those duties to\nMichelle.</p></blockquote><p>Did I miss something?</p>\n\n<p>Who else is going to do it? Does the writer want her to go back to managing a hospital? I&#39;d rather have her in the White House where she can be a standard-bearer for working women (and yes, many of them are mothers and thus &quot;momified&quot;). Yes, at one point in their married life she was making more money than he was. Yes, she used to be his superior at the law firm where they met. But their lives have changed. They seem to have adapted, even though it wasn&#39;t easy. (Barack admits to it himself - there&#39;s a lengthy quote in the article.) She decided to support him in his political career. They&#39;ve both made sacrifices because of that and they both seem to value family life above all. Good for them. </p>\n\n<p>I remember reading somewhere that he was visibly upset when he told an interviewer that he could only spend two hours with the girls after they got their Christmas tree because of the campaign. But then he did the school drop-off on the morning he was to leave to go to the White House as President-elect. He obviously chose to do that - and sent a message that being a dad is important to him. I didn&#39;t see anyone complaining about the &quot;dadification&quot; of Barack Obama.&#0160; </p>\n\n<p>Does everything have to be offensive?</p>\n\n<p>The fact that she has chosen to call herself Mom-in-Chief makes me love her even more because it&#39;s reminiscent of how many of us choose to call ourselves Stay-at-Home-Mothers instead of housewives. She&#39;s one of us. Motherhood - parenthood - is a source of pride to our generation, not an offensive label. But you guys know that. </p>\n\n<p>I guess the writer fell into the generation gap. This lame attempt at reigniting the &quot;Mommy-Wars&quot; gets a big shrug from me.</p>\n','The \"momification\" of our first lady? Dude, she\'s already a mom.','\n','publish','open','open','','the-momification-of-our-first-lady-dude-shes-already-a-mom','','','2008-11-13 14:57:21','2008-11-13 14:57:21','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=287',0,'post','',5),(288,1,'2008-11-12 13:19:25','2008-11-12 13:19:25','<p>Your eyes are not deceiving you...you are indeed getting two posts today! Woo-hoo! </p>\n\n<p>I&#39;m still going for the posting-every-in-November challenge, but I was so tired last night that I wrote the previous post at 9:30 PM and hit &quot;publish&quot; and went to bed without noticing that the post was sent to &quot;draft&quot; so it didn&#39;t publish yesterday as it was supposed to.</p>\n\n<p>That sucks, but the fact that I&#39;m not giving up means something, right? I&#39;m getting used to stopping in here and saying hello. I guess I&#39;m not getting a trophy or anything, but I know in my heart that I&#39;m still doing it. So, hello.</p>\n','I think I\'m getting used to this...','\n','publish','open','open','','i-think-im-getting-used-to-this','','','2008-11-12 13:19:25','2008-11-12 13:19:25','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=288',0,'post','',1),(289,1,'2008-11-12 13:15:13','2008-11-12 13:15:13','<p>I got up at 4:00 AM this morning - which is never a good way to start the day - to go to Chicago for another work meeting.</p>\n\n<p>My flight was so turbulent I promised myself I wouldn&#39;t fly again - like, ever!</p>\n\n<p>I was pretty thrilled to sit in an office with a view of Grant park - my hostess was nice enough to point out Obama&#39;s victory rally location. It was pretty cool to see, even from a 62nd floor window.</p>\n\n<p>Then I had my meeting and I got back on another plane by 3:50 PM. This time the turbulence was even worse. I&#39;ve turned into a chickenshit flyer.</p>\n\n<p>When I got off the plane I wanted to kiss the ground like the Pope used to do. I didn&#39;t, of course. Instead I hightailed to the car service. My driver gave me the award for &quot;quickest sprint through Logan airport.&quot; I was in the car a mere five minutes after my plane landed.</p>\n\n<p>But you see, I wanted to make it home in time for bedtime. And I did. It was the best part of my day.</p>\n\n<p>Now it&#39;s time for me to go to bed. There&#39;s no place like home!</p>\n','I am not a good traveler','\n','publish','open','open','','i-am-not-a-good-traveler','','','2008-11-12 13:15:13','2008-11-12 13:15:13','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=289',0,'post','',0),(290,1,'2008-11-10 09:03:00','2008-11-10 09:03:00','<p><a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/miscellaneous/2008/10/butterball-univ.html\">You want to read this. There are pictures of me. In an apron. Touching a raw turkey. You&#39;ve got to see it to believe it.</a></p>\n\n<p>And yes, I can now roast a turkey. I am awesome.</p>\n','Butterball University or: How I got over my fear of handling raw poultry','\n','publish','open','open','','butterball-university-or-how-i-got-over-my-fear-of-handling-raw-poultry','','','2008-11-10 09:03:00','2008-11-10 09:03:00','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=290',0,'post','',0),(291,1,'2008-11-09 08:14:00','2008-11-09 08:14:00','<p><a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/miscellaneous/2008/11/lets-chat.html\">Hey! Do you have any burning Thanksgiving turkey related questions? I&#39;m like *this* with Carol Miller, one of the Butterball Talk-Line experts who helped Rachael Ray with her turkey questions and now she wants to help you. Here&#39;s your chance to get some help! </a></p>\n\n<p><img alt=\"Carol\" border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa3982f970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa3982f970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"Carol\" />\n\n\n</p>\n','Let\'s Chat!','\n','publish','open','open','','lets-chat-2','','','2008-11-09 08:14:00','2008-11-09 08:14:00','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=291',0,'post','',0),(292,1,'2008-11-08 20:17:18','2008-11-08 20:17:18','<p>It&#39;s Saturday night, the kids are in bed and have a date with my husband and Don Draper - we haven&#39;t watched the Mad Men season finale (I know!) and tonight&#39;s the night we finally find out what happens to them. </p>\n\n<p>(Let me guess...there&#39;s a cliffhanger! Shocking!)<br /> </p>\n\n<p>My love for this show is well documented, but I wanted to leave you with this:</p>\n\n<p><object data=\"http://widgets.nbc.com/o/4727a250e66f9723/491648600a8deb94/49048e27f4fa52ad/a56932a2/-cpid/bef8f81b7e535fe2/clipID/787241/video_title/Saturday+Night+Live+-+Don+Draper%27s+Guide/video_imgurl/http%3a%2f%2fvideo.nbc.com%2fplayer%2fmezzanine%2fimage.php%3fw%3d350%26h%3d196%26path%3dnbc2%2f386eb726032c042100f3360c1704c2bc_mezzn.jpg%26hash%3d47bb1b2f67875093c2c5b1c0d7de178f/video_url/http%3a%2f%2fwww.nbc.com%2fSaturday_Night_Live%2fvideo%2fclips%2fdon-drapers-guide%2f787241%2f/video_description/You+too%2c+can+be+like+Don+Draper...?storeInPid=true\" height=\"283\" id=\"W4727a250e66f9723491648600a8deb94\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"384\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://widgets.nbc.com/o/4727a250e66f9723/491648600a8deb94/49048e27f4fa52ad/a56932a2/-cpid/bef8f81b7e535fe2/clipID/787241/video_title/Saturday+Night+Live+-+Don+Draper%27s+Guide/video_imgurl/http%3a%2f%2fvideo.nbc.com%2fplayer%2fmezzanine%2fimage.php%3fw%3d350%26h%3d196%26path%3dnbc2%2f386eb726032c042100f3360c1704c2bc_mezzn.jpg%26hash%3d47bb1b2f67875093c2c5b1c0d7de178f/video_url/http%3a%2f%2fwww.nbc.com%2fSaturday_Night_Live%2fvideo%2fclips%2fdon-drapers-guide%2f787241%2f/video_description/You+too%2c+can+be+like+Don+Draper...?storeInPid=true\" /><param name=\"wmode\" value=\"transparent\" /><param name=\"allowNetworking\" value=\"all\" /><param name=\"allowScriptAccess\" value=\"always\" /></object></p>\n\n<p>\n\nI know it&#39;s all tongue-in-cheek, but most of those things would work on me. And we&#39;ll leave it at that.</p>\n','This one\'s gonna be real short...','\n','publish','open','open','','this-ones-gonna-be-real-short','','','2008-11-08 20:17:18','2008-11-08 20:17:18','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=292',0,'post','',0),(293,1,'2008-11-07 15:26:48','2008-11-07 15:26:48','<p>Since I&#39;ve managed to blog every day so far in November, I guess it&#39;s pretty safe to throw my hat in the ring for National Blog Posting month. Too bad my brain is absolutely fried after writing 6 posts for work in the last two days. </p>\n\n<p>Why am I doing this again? </p>\n','Committed','\n','publish','open','open','','committed','','','2008-11-07 15:26:48','2008-11-07 15:26:48','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=293',0,'post','',3),(294,1,'2008-11-06 13:10:32','2008-11-06 13:10:32','<p>... my blog to turn into an Obama lovefest, but...</p>\n\n<p>He has a<a href=\"http://change.gov/\"> blog</a>. </p>\n\n<p>Just when I thought I couldn&#39;t like him any more, they go and do this. LOVE!<br /><em><br />(I&#39;m only saying hello for a second - I&#39;m way behind on work deadlines and my baby boy is sick with the coxsackie virus and he doesn&#39;t care much for my deadlines. So now that he&#39;s napping I&#39;ve got to get to work.<br /><br />Talk to you later,)</em></p>\n','I didn\'t mean for...','\n','publish','open','open','','i-didnt-mean-for','','','2008-11-06 13:10:32','2008-11-06 13:10:32','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=294',0,'post','',0),(295,1,'2008-11-05 13:33:54','2008-11-05 13:33:54','<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/11/05/obama27_16804595.jpg\"><img alt=\"Obama27_16804595\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39fdc970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39fdc970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"Obama27_16804595\" /></a><br /><em>(Boston.com)</em></p>\n\n<p>Good work, America.</p><br />\n','We did it!','\n','publish','open','open','','we-did-it','','','2008-11-05 13:33:54','2008-11-05 13:33:54','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=295',0,'post','',1),(296,1,'2008-11-04 17:45:00','2008-11-04 17:45:00','\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3003550340/\" title=\"DSC_0003.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0003.JPG\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39fd7970c\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39fd7970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a>\n</p>\n\n<p>This morning I held a black marker and realized that at that moment I was the most powerful woman in the world. I could change the world with a stroke of that marker.</p>\n\n<p>And I did:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3003547378/\" title=\"DSC_0005.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0005.JPG\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39ff5970c\" height=\"500\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39ff5970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"464\" /></a></p>\n','I voted for change','\n','publish','open','open','','i-voted-for-change','','','2008-11-04 17:45:00','2008-11-04 17:45:00','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=296',0,'post','',4),(297,1,'2008-11-03 14:45:00','2008-11-03 14:45:00','<p>I need to tell you something. </p>\n\n<p>That whole George W. Bush thing? </p>\n\n<p>It&#39;s kind of my fault. </p>\n\n<p>Well, it’s not ALL my fault, but still. It kind of is. At least it feels that way.</p>\n\n<p>You see, that fateful summer of 2000 I was so busy preparing for graduate school that I forgot to vote. No, really - I had to find an apartment and a roommate, but&#0160; mostly I had to wrap my mind around the fact that I was leaving everything and everyone I knew behind to move to Virginia. You’d think I was moving to another planet. But that’s the reason that that year’s election simply wasn’t a priority. I didn’t even realize that I had forgotten to apply for an absentee ballot until I was immersed in my new life and it was too late.</p>\n\n<p>To be honest, I didn’t think it was that big a deal. I’d voted for Clinton in 1996 - so what? Tons of people did. What difference was my one little vote going to make? </p>\n\n<p>As much as I disliked George W. Bush, I wasn’t worried that he would win. I was pretty sure people wouldn’t vote him into office. Surely people would vote for the qualified candidate and not for the one they’d like to share a beer with? </p>\n\n<p>Right?</p>\n\n<p>I was so naive. </p>\n\n<p>I’ll admit that I was a little surprised when I left the election night party and things weren’t settled yet. But I had an 8:00 AM class and needed to go to bed. I remember being more worried about the financial model I’d been working on all day than about the election itself. </p>\n\n<p>When my radio alarm went off at 7:00 AM a voice informed that we still didn’t have a president - the election was too close to call, and the difference was 183 votes (at the time). In FLORIDA.</p>\n\n<p>Did I mention that I had forgotten to apply for an absentee ballot in Miami? </p>\n\n<p>(I felt very, very bad.)</p>\n\n<p>Like the rest of the country, I became obsessed with the election. But unlike the rest of you, who eventually found the whole “hanging chad” issue ridiculously hilarious - it hit me to my core. </p>\n\n<p>I felt so very stupid every time I saw a picture like this:</p>\n\n<p><img alt=\"Hangingchad\" border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39972970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39972970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"Hangingchad\" />\n\n\n</p>\n\n<p>You might remember those pictures. They were everywhere. </p>\n\n<p>I felt stupid a lot.</p>\n\n<p><img alt=\"Chadec70e4def6474fc4989eecddb6295c4\" border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39982970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39982970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"Chadec70e4def6474fc4989eecddb6295c4\" />\n\n\n</p>\n\n<p>I felt sick to my stomach whenever people would discuss the Florida votes. Whether they said that it came down to 1,000 or just 40 votes in a county it was clear that every vote was precious - so precious that it was counted and recounted endlessly. But I was an experienced Florida voter and I never left any hanging chads - I knew that if only I had voted, Gore would have had one more vote that counted.</p>\n\n<p>So whenever Leno or Letterman made fun of Florida voters they twisted that knife I’d stuck in my gut by choosing not to vote that year. Because those weary poll workers? Weren’t counting and recounting my vote. And it was all my fault.</p>\n\n<p>People talk about Catholic guilt, but it’s nothing compared to the guilt I felt that November. </p>\n\n<p>I wouldn&#39;t want you to feel like this. Don&#39;t be stupid - go out and vote. </p>\n','Voting: A cautionary tale','\n','publish','open','open','','voting-a-cautionary-tale','','','2008-11-03 14:45:00','2008-11-03 14:45:00','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=297',0,'post','',6),(298,1,'2008-11-02 21:23:47','2008-11-02 21:23:47','<p>I’m in Chicago again, and being here just two days before the election just feels special. It also reminded me of a text message exchange my brother and I had last time I was here, so I thought I’d share it with you. It&#39;s all true. I have photographic evidence:<br /><em><br />TEXT FROM MY BROTHER:</em> We got on stage!</p>\n\n<p><em>ME: </em>???</p>\n\n<p><em>MY BROTHER: </em>The people you see on tv when he speaks ... That’s me!</p>\n\n<p><em>ME:</em>&#0160; Where are you? </p>\n\n<p><em>MY BROTHER:</em> The rally!</p>\n\n<p><em>ME:</em> An Obama thing?</p>\n\n<p><em>MY BROTHER:</em> Yes!</p>\n\n<p>So of course I called him that very minute. He picked up the phone and it was so loud I could barely hear him over the blaring music (Kanye West, in case you were wondering) and the people chanting in the background. </p>\n\n<p>“LISTEN WE’RE ONSTAGE NOW! CAN’T TALK BYE!”</p>\n\n<p>He finally called when the rally was over and told me the whole story - how he and some friends from work took the afternoon off work and went to the Obama rally at Bayfront park, and how this lady with a clipboard approached one of his friends and asked if they wanted to be on stage. They said yes, never believing this woman was legit, and before they knew it they were in front of a roaring crowd of enfranchised voters.</p>\n\n<p>It was, in his words, “awesome” and “exciting.” Sure, he was *this* close the the man who might become the next president of the United States of America - but personally I think he just liked the sound of thousands people cheering right in front of him. Did he think they were cheering for him instead of Obama? I know that the thought would cross my mind. How often do you get the chance to <a href=\"http://www.spanish-plaza.com/evitawebquest/evita-abre.jpg\">feel like Evita</a>?</p>\n\n<p><em>...Descamisados!</em></p>\n\n<p>But instead of being all excited for him all I said was, “that’s nice, but now your hooky-playing mug is going to be all over the evening news. Aren’t you worried your boss will find out where you REALLY where?”</p>\n\n<p>He blew off my &quot;concerns&quot; because he knew that deep down I was seething with jealousy because he got to be on the same stage as Obama while I was on a business trip to Chicago. NO FAIR.</p>\n\n<p>But I was vindicated the next morning when he forwarded me this email from one of his co-workers:</p>\n\n<p><strong>From: </strong>(Supervisor)<br /> <strong>To: </strong>(My brother’s co-worker) <br /><strong>Subject:</strong> Where were you yesterday evening? I thought I saw you...</p>\n\n<!--more-->\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/11/02/busted.gif\"><img border=\"0\" class=\"image-full\" alt=\"Busted\" title=\"Busted\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/11/02/busted.gif\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>\nThey were SO busted.<br />\n<br />\nNah nah nah nah ...</p>\n\n<p>(Don\'t cry for them, internet. They’re all still gainfully employed.)</p>\n','They got caught red-handed','\n','publish','open','open','','they-got-caught-red-handed','','','2008-11-02 21:23:47','2008-11-02 21:23:47','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=298',0,'post','',8),(299,1,'2008-11-01 15:15:52','2008-11-01 15:15:52','<p>If you ever want to gain six pounds in one night, I highly recommend walking around your neighborhood with a scarecrow and puppy, knocking on the neighbor&#39;s doors and threatening them with a &quot;twick!&quot; if you don&#39;t get a &quot;tweat.&quot;</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/11/01/dsc_0015.jpg\"><img alt=\"Dsc_0015\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39845970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39845970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"Dsc_0015\" /></a>\n\n\n</p>\n\n<p>It works like magic.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/11/01/dsc_0026.jpg\"><img alt=\"Dsc_0026\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39855970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39855970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"Dsc_0026\" /></a>\n\n\n</p>\n','Halloween Revisited','\n','publish','open','open','','halloween-revisited','','','2008-11-01 15:15:52','2008-11-01 15:15:52','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=299',0,'post','',8),(300,1,'2008-10-31 07:07:00','2008-10-31 07:07:00','<p>Happy Halloween!</p>\n\n<p>I was so proud of this Jack &#39;O Lantern - I carved myself, for the boys (I did it with a ballpoint pen and a steak knife - no fancy tools for us!) and then a ferocious squirrel came and ate his face off. </p>\n\n<p>Trust me, it was the most perfect Jack &#39;O Lantern New England had ever seen, but now you&#39;ll just have to take my word for it.</p>\n\n<p><em><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/10/30/dsc_0092.jpg\"><img alt=\"Dsc_0092\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce1cf970b\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce1cf970b-pi.jpg\" title=\"Dsc_0092\" /></a></em></p>\n\n<p>I offered to buy the boys a new one, but my three-year old thinks it&#39;s spookier this way. I think he has a point.<em></em><br /><br /><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/10/30/dsc_0056.jpg\"><em></em></a><em><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/10/30/dsc_0055.jpg\"><img alt=\"Dsc_0055\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce1d8970b\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce1d8970b-pi.jpg\" title=\"Dsc_0055\" /></a></em></p>\n\n<p>We&#39;ve had the most perfectly beautiful Fall this year:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/10/30/dsc_0056.jpg\"><em>&#0160;</em></a><em><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/10/30/dsc_0056.jpg\"><img alt=\"Dsc_0056\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce1e4970b\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce1e4970b-pi.jpg\" title=\"Dsc_0056\" /></a>\n\n\n</em><br /><br />I&#39;ll be complaining about raking these leaves soon enough, but for now we&#39;re having fun just making little piles and letting the kids run through them.<em><br /><br /><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/10/30/dsc_0049.jpg\"><img alt=\"Dsc_0049\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce1ed970b\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce1ed970b-pi.jpg\" title=\"Dsc_0049\" /></a>\n\n\n<br /></em></p>\n\n<p>Fall is fun.&#0160; <br /><br /><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/10/30/csc_0054.jpg\"><img alt=\"Csc_0054\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce1f4970b\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce1f4970b-pi.jpg\" title=\"Csc_0054\" /></a></p>\n\n<p><em>*My apologies to those of you with small children as you&#39;ve surely heard this song a million times before, but I like it. <a href=\"http://www.noggin.com/shows/fall.php\">Some of those Noggin tunes are quite catchy, aren&#39;t they?</a> </em></p> <br />\n','I Feel like I\'m Falling for Fall*','\n','publish','open','open','','i-feel-like-im-falling-for-fall','','','2008-10-31 07:07:00','2008-10-31 07:07:00','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=300',0,'post','',8),(301,1,'2008-10-29 15:41:41','2008-10-29 15:41:41','<p>I&#39;m tired of feeling like I&#39;m running to catch up - I&#39;m always five minutes late to something, dinner&#39;s never ready on time, I&#39;m always forgetting how to do things. Things have been like this for so long that I&#39;ve pretty much resigned myself to never being &quot;with it.&quot; On top of that, I&#39;m always exhausted - but at the end of the day I rarely feel like I&#39;ve accomplished anything. </p>\n\n<p>I don&#39;t like this feeling. I&#39;m stressed, and can&#39;t shake the feeling that I&#39;m missing out.</p>\n\n<p>Things came to a boil last week when, as I was trying to reply to a friend&#39;s email (one that she had sent me three weeks ago) and I was simultaneously trying to feed my sick baby a snack while cleaning up the breakfast dishes (because we had to abandon them as we rushed out the door to drop off my preschooler and now I had two bowls of half-eaten oatmeal that had dried to a cement-like consistency), the doorbell rang. </p>\n\n<p>Of course.</p>\n\n<p>I ran to open it, and standing before me was some guy from the Water Department. I must have looked really confused because he reminded me that I had scheduled this appointment weeks before - because we needed a new water meter? I didn&#39;t remember making this appointment - in fact, I had no idea whether we had a water meter or not - so he could have been one of those homicidal maniacs for all I know. I was about to tell him to wait outside so I could check my calendar, but then I heard the clang of the baby&#39;s bowl as he threw it across the kitchen and I just let him in and pointed him in the general direction of the basement. </p>\n\n<p>As I got on my hands and knees to pick up apple juice soaked Kix from the kitchen floor I started to get really mad at myself for not having my act together - it probably didn&#39;t help that at that moment my baby was screaming his head off because he was still strapped on the high chair, that my laptop&#39;s screen had gone dark because the battery had run out and probably eaten up the email I had spent 45 minutes trying to compose; the fact that I had let a stranger in the house was really just the icing on the cake. </p>\n\n<p>That&#39;s when I realized that things were Not Working and the solution was clear: I need to Focus. </p>\n\n<p>Focus. That sounds so perfectly simple! But it&#39;s easier said than done.</p>\n\n<p>This is going to sound ridiculous, but I&#39;ve been living in denial: I have young children. You know that shampoo commercial that says, &quot;everything changes when you have a baby?&quot; They don&#39;t only mean what car you drive and your clothing size. No. They mean EVERYTHING.</p>\n\n<p>I try to do twenty things at once because I used to be able to multitask, but that was once upon that mythical time before I had kids. Nowadays I have two little ninjas ready to pounce whenever my attention is diverted. I simply can&#39;t juggle a social phone call, work email and dinner - at least not while the toddler is literally hanging off the kitchen table (don&#39;t ask) and the preschooler is &quot;coloring&quot; the hardwood floors. </p>\n\n<p>Instead, I have to do one thing at a time. One. The phone calls need to happen while the kids are napping or at school. The work email needs to be taken care of after the kid&#39;s bedtime. Dinner has to be on the table by 5:30 - which means that the kids are getting something simple or whatever we&#39;ve prepared the night before.</p>\n\n<p>I&#39;ve also realized that I need to sleep. I simply can&#39;t run on 6 hours of sleep - not anymore. This has been the hardest change of all. I don&#39;t know about you, but I feel like my REAL day starts once the kids go to bed - is that any way to live? Instead, I&#39;ve been forcing myself to go to bed earlier and it&#39;s starting to make a big difference during the daylight hours; I&#39;m starting to actually enjoy them. The first night I forced myself to get 10 hours of sleep (that meant a 9:00 bedtime for me, which is a HUGE sacrifice because I normally turn off the lights at midnight) and the next day I felt like I could do anything. I hadn&#39;t felt like that in a long time. It felt good. </p>\n\n<p>So that&#39;s it - my plan: Get to bed early, and when awake - to focus on one thing at a time. </p>\n\n<p>Simple, but it&#39;s all I can handle right now.</p>\n','Focus','\n','publish','open','open','','focus','','','2008-10-29 15:41:41','2008-10-29 15:41:41','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=301',0,'post','',12),(302,1,'2008-10-27 16:21:07','2008-10-27 16:21:07','<p>Since the world economy is tanking and everybody&#39;s just consumed by the election (which is just a week away - THANK GOD) we figured it was the perfect time to go shopping for furniture. Why? Because everything&#39;s on sale and we&#39;re tired of watching CNN.</p>\n\n<p>People, I think things are moving along. FINALLY.</p>\n\n<p>Here&#39;s a reminder of our living room looked like in March (remember, we had been living in this house for <a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/the_diary_of_a_reluctant_/2008/03/the-one-where-i.html\">almost a year by</a> then):</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/10/27/2258790870_7d8d25a8d3.jpg\"><img alt=\"2258790870_7d8d25a8d3\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39927970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39927970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"2258790870_7d8d25a8d3\" /></a>\n\n\n</p>\n\n<p>Sad, no?</p>\n\n<p>Then July came along, and we <a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/the_diary_of_a_reluctant_/2008/07/project-decorat.html\">bought some furniture</a>:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/10/27/2623721788_fb1c74e928_2.jpg\"><img alt=\"2623721788_fb1c74e928_2\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa3993a970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa3993a970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"2623721788_fb1c74e928_2\" /></a>\n\n\n</p>\n\n<p>Things were starting to come together, but we were missing a focal point. Since I&#39;m a blogger I just photoshopped it into place: </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/10/27/dscn5995.jpg\"><img alt=\"Dscn5995\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39948970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39948970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"Dscn5995\" /></a>\n\n\n</p>\n\n<p>Guess what? The couch is here AND we bought drapes! It&#39;s a miracle! Take a look:</p>\n\n<!--more-->\n<p><a title=\"DSCN6157 by R. S. M., on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2926820969/\"><img width=\"500\" height=\"375\" alt=\"DSCN6157\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/2926820969_e0588d6771.jpg\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>I think it comes pretty close the couch I Photoshopped from <em>House Beautiful</em>. I\'m also proud of our drapes, mainly because I found them for 25% off. Score!</p>\n\n<p>Now all we need is a coffee table and some side tables. I thought I wanted metal ones, but a few of you mentioned that little boys and metal/glass tables equal visits to the ER, so we decided to go with plain wood. Plain wood tables are harder to find that you\'d think. It took us months - months of us fighting at furniture stores. It was not pretty.</p>\n\n<p>The good news is that we found some and they\'re perfect! They should arrive by Christmas because they\'re making them for us in upstate New York. </p>\n\n<p>But I haven\'t told you the best part: We got them on sale for 49% off plus an additional 5%. Isn\'t that exciting?</p>\n\n<p>To continue my tradition of bad Photoshopping here is what the room should look like when it\'s done:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2927760600/\" title=\"DSCN6157 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/2927760600_a2ba522327.jpg\" alt=\"DSCN6157\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>OK, so hopefully that looks nothing like it. The table\'s a bit longer, and less...lopsided, but I was tired. We also bought side tables, but I was too lazy to try and Photoshop them. I figured you guys would understand.</p>\n\n<p>(Hey, at least I moved the toys.)</p>\n','Living room update: Look at how far we\'ve come!','\n','publish','open','open','','living-room-update-look-at-how-far-weve-come','','','2008-10-27 16:21:07','2008-10-27 16:21:07','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=302',0,'post','',11),(303,1,'2008-10-24 16:02:52','2008-10-24 16:02:52','<p>Him: <em>(Pushing uneaten lunch away.)</em> All done! </p>\n\n<p>Me: No you&#39;re not. </p>\n\n<p>Him: Why? Why? Whyyyyy?</p>\n\n<p>Me: Because you haven&#39;t even touched the meat on your plate.</p>\n\n<p>Him:<em> Pats the meat with his fingers.</em></p>\n\n<p>Me: Done! Can I watch<em> Max and Ruby</em> now?</p>\n','He inherited the smart alec genes.','\n','publish','open','open','','he-inherited-the-smart-alec-genes','','','2008-10-24 16:02:52','2008-10-24 16:02:52','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=303',0,'post','',1),(304,1,'2008-10-20 17:02:00','2008-10-20 17:02:00','<p>I&#39;ve been keeping a secret from you, internet. </p>\n\n<p>I&#39;m on my way to Chicago. </p>\n\n<p>Why?</p>\n\n<p>Here&#39;s a clue:<br /> </p>\n\n<p><object height=\"344\" width=\"425\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/bldo826tot4&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1\" /><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" /><embed allowfullscreen=\"true\" height=\"344\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/bldo826tot4&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"425\" /></object>\n\n\n\n\n</p>\n\n<p>Can you figure it out? </p>\n\n<p>No?</p><p><a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/miscellaneous/2008/10/im.html\">Click here to find out!</a></p>\n\n<p>(You&#39;ll never, ever, guess - I can hardly believe it myself.)</p>\n','Don\'t fear the turkey','\n','publish','open','open','','dont-fear-the-turkey','','','2008-10-20 17:02:00','2008-10-20 17:02:00','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=304',0,'post','',3),(305,1,'2008-10-15 15:37:06','2008-10-15 15:37:06','<p>I&#39;ve been wanting to go to Blogher for a long time. There&#39;s just a little problem (well, two, if we&#39;re going to get specific): I have kids. Little kids. </p>\n\n<p>Yeah.</p>\n\n<p>I&#39;ve always wondered how parents manage to get away for a weekend. It&#39;s hard to do. Believe me, I&#39;ve tried. I know people do it all the time, but I haven&#39;t figured it out yet. Heck, <a href=\"http://www.blogher.com/our-many-hats\">she</a> has a hard time too, so cut me some slack. <br /><br />When I found out that Blogher was going to bring the party to my corner of the world, I literally had no excuse. So I went. And it was good.</p>\n\n<p>The End.</p>\n\n<p>Oh, I kid. I met some people and had a wonderful time. This is going to take a while, so you may want to get that drink you&#39;ve been meaning to get. </p>\n\n<!--more-->\n<p>First, a confession: I was a little lost during the sessions\nbecause I\'m not exactly new to blogs and I\'m not using social media to sell anything. The sessions were good, I just wasn\'t in the target audience. I wish there were more sessions on how to spark your creativity\nor just on how to write. Every speaker wisely said that &quot;content&quot; is\nthe most important thing - and I agree. I wanted to focus on writing -\nmaybe a session on the art of journal writing, or even a basic punctuation lesson (ahem) would have made me happy. But then again, I\'m a word nerd.</p>\n\n<p>But the best part of any conference is the people. Oh, the people! There were so many <a href=\"http://www.christinekoh.com\">people</a> and they all had so many <a href=\"http://dorenecc.blogspot.com/\">blogs</a>&nbsp; - <a href=\"http://www.racismreview.com/blog/\">scholarly</a> blogs, <a href=\"http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com\">local blogs</a>, blogs about <a href=\"http://www.theperfectpantry.com\">food</a> and <a href=\"http://www.runningwithheels.com/\">shoes</a> and even blogs that <a href=\"http://twitter.com/wadlington\">don\'t even exist yet</a>. (Get to it, lady!)</p>\n\n<p>I didn\'t meet as many people as I\'d hoped during the &quot;Speed Dating&quot; session because I was all the way at the end, sandwiched between the very nice lady lady who sells yogurt and <a href=\"http://liz-henry.blogspot.com/\">Liz Henry</a>. I don\'t know why I thought Liz would be intimidating, but she is absolutely one of the most approachable people I\'ve ever met - she had a smile on her face THE ENTIRE DAY. Impressive.</p>\n\n<p>Anyways, everybody wanted to meet them, so I kinda just stood there - and that was fine by me because I was a bit overwhelmed the sheer mass of humanity. I don\'t know how they do those speed dating sessions with 800+ people. Magic?</p>\n\n<p>I\'m guilty of gluing myself to those that I was already familiar with - namely fellow townies like <a href=\"http://chickychickybaby.blogspot.com\">Chicky Chicky Baby</a> and the hilarious <a href=\"http://fairlyoddmother.blogspot.com\">Fairly Odd Mother</a> (those two had me laughing all day) and my pretend sisters <a href=\"http://www.momgenerations.com/blogs/jane/\">Jane</a>, <a href=\"http://momgenerations.com/blogs/audrey/\">Audrey</a> and <a href=\"http://www.momgenerations.com/blogs/sharon/\">Sharon</a>. I just love their family - you can tell they honestly love and support each other. </p>\n\n<p>But I still somehow managed to find people I had real-life things in common with - like the tall and supermodel-gorgeous <a href=\"http://www.momisodes.com/\">Sandy</a> who is not only from my hometown (the real one) - we also went to the same college! Coincidence? I don\'t think so. She also has the only <a href=\"http://www.momisodes.com/?p=1151#more-1151\">photographic</a> that I was there - thanks for the picture! I also saw <a href=\"http://twitter.com/juliehallboston\">Julie</a>, who used to be my PR partner back when I was in brand marketing - which is pretty much a lifetime ago - and <a href=\"http://sixuntilme.com/\">Kerri</a> who used to write at Aisledash with me.</p>\n\n<p>I also met the fabulous <a href=\"http://asmeddlingkiss.blogspot.com/\">Velma</a> and chatted with <a href=\"http://www.mombian.com/\">Mombian</a> about weddings and alma maters, and as soon as <a href=\"http://www.candelariasilva.com/\">Candelaria Silva</a> found out that I\'m half Dominican she took me under her wing and educated me on the local Dominican arts scene. (I had no idea it\'s so active here in Boston!) </p>\n\n<p>I was beyond happy when I finally met <a href=\"http://badladies.blogspot.com\">HerBadMother</a> and her sweet baby boy (he likes to have his nose tickled and my heart melted, FYI.) I have a feeling that if Catherine and I go to spend some time together we would become BFFs. Then again, I\'m pretty sure most people she meets have that feeling too. Speaking of Canadians, I also met <a href=\"http://karensugarpants.com/\">Karen Sugarpants</a>, <a href=\"http://threeseven.ca\">Threeseven</a> and <a href=\"http://www.temporarilyme.com/\">Tempting Mama </a>- all of whom are stunning. I don\'t know what they put in the chocolate up in Canada, but whatever it is, I want it. So send me some.</p>\n\n<p>I got to discover new (to me) bloggers like <a href=\"http://graymatter-matters.blogspot.com/\">Gray Matter Matters</a> (so witty, so smart!) and <a href=\"http://www.wendi-aarons.com/\">Wendi Aarons </a>(for real, how did I get by without reading her blog? She\'s really, really, really funny - like professionally so), the <a href=\"http://artandlemons.blogspot.com/\">Art and Lemons </a>family, the <a href=\"http://www.consuminglilly.com/\">all-consuming Lilly</a>, and Sally, who wins my award for Best Blog Name Of All Time: <a href=\"http://sexandtheknitty.blogspot.com/\">Sex and the Knitty</a>. </p>\n\n<p>A big, big thank you to <a href=\"http://surfette.typepad.com/\">Lisa</a> and <a href=\"http://www.jorydesjardins.com/pause/\">Jory</a> and <a href=\"http://homepage.mac.com/elisa_camahort/iblog/\">Elisa</a> - thank you for bringing the conference to my backyard. I know you did it just to make me happy. Of course.</p>\n\n<p>See you all at the next one!</p>\n','Blogher Boston','\n','publish','open','open','','blogher-boston','','','2008-10-15 15:37:06','2008-10-15 15:37:06','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=305',0,'post','',10),(306,1,'2008-10-08 08:03:00','2008-10-08 08:03:00','<p>I can&#39;t resist these internet quizzes. They remind me of the ones from <em>Seventeen</em> magazine - I loved taking those! I somehow always end up as the perfectionist brunette.</p>\n\n<p>No surprise there, since &quot;I do everything the right way.&quot; I may put that on a poster. No, seriously - I had a meltdown yesterday because my new eyebrow lady made them too thin. Yes, we&#39;re probably talking millimeters here. I think I need to chill out a bit.</p>\n\n<p>......</p>\n\n<p><em>Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn?&#0160; Or Someone Else?&#0160; Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...</em></p>\n\n<h4>You Are a Jackie!</h4>\n\n<p><img alt=\"mm.jackie_.jpg\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39e88970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39e88970c.jpg\" /></p>\n&#0160; &#0160; 					<div><p><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><strong>You are a Jackie.&#0160; &quot;I do everything the right way.&quot;</strong></span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"> Jackies are realistic, conscientious, and principled. They strive to live up to their high ideals.</span></p>\n<p>&#0160;</p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><strong><strong>How to Get Along with Me</strong></strong></span><span style=\"font-size: small;\">&#0160;</span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">* Take your share of the responsibility so I don&#39;t end up with all the work.&#0160; &#0160; </span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">* Acknowledge my achievements.&#0160; &#0160; </span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">* I&#39;m hard on myself. Reassure me that I&#39;m fine the way I am.&#0160; &#0160; </span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">* Tell me that you value my advice.&#0160; &#0160; </span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">* Be fair and considerate, as I am.&#0160; &#0160; </span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">* Apologize if you have been unthoughtful. It will help me to forgive.&#0160; &#0160; </span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">* Gently encourage me to lighten up and to laugh at myself when I get uptight, but hear my worries first.</span></p>\n<p>&#0160;</p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><strong><strong>What I Like About Being a Jackie</strong></strong></span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">* Being self-disciplined and able to accomplish a great deal</span><span style=\"font-size: small;\">&#0160;</span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">* Working hard to make the world a better place&#0160; &#0160; </span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">* Having high standards and ethics; not compromising myself </span><span style=\"font-size: small;\">&#0160;</span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">* Being reasonable, responsible, and dedicated in everything I do&#0160; &#0160;</span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">* Being able to put facts together, coming to good understandings, and figuring out wise solutions&#0160; &#0160; </span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">* Being the best I can be and bringing out the best in other people</span></p>\n<p>&#0160;</p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><strong><strong>What&#39;s Hard About Being a Jackie</strong></strong></span><span style=\"font-size: small;\">&#0160;</span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">* Being disappointed with myself or others when my expectations are not met&#0160; &#0160; </span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">* Feeling burdened by too much responsibility&#0160; &#0160; </span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">* Thinking that what I do is never good enough&#0160; &#0160; </span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">* Not being appreciated for what I do for people&#0160; &#0160; </span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">* Being upset because others aren&#39;t trying as hard as I am </span><span style=\"font-size: small;\">&#0160;</span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">* Obsessing about what I did or what I should do&#0160; &#0160; </span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">* Being tense, anxious, and taking things too seriously</span></p>\n<p>&#0160;</p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><strong><strong>Jackies as Children Often</strong></strong></span><span style=\"font-size: small;\">&#0160;</span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">* Criticize themselves in anticipation of criticism from others </span><span style=\"font-size: small;\">&#0160;</span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">* Refrain from doing things that they think might not come out perfect</span><span style=\"font-size: small;\">&#0160;</span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">* Focus on living up to the expectations of their parents and teachers&#0160; &#0160; </span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">* Are very responsible; may assume the role of parent&#0160; &#0160; </span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">* Hold back negative emotions (&quot;good children aren&#39;t angry&quot;)</span></p>\n<p>&#0160;</p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><strong><strong>Jackies as Parents</strong></strong></span><span style=\"font-size: small;\">&#0160;</span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">* Teach their children responsibility and strong moral values</span><span style=\"font-size: small;\">&#0160;</span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">* Are consistent and fair&#0160; &#0160; </span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\">* Discipline firmly</span></p></div>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.helloquizzy.com/tests/are-you-a-jackie-or-a-marilyn-or-someone-else-mad-menera-female-icon-quiz\">Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn?&#0160; Or Someone Else?&#0160; Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz</a> at <a href=\"http://www.helloquizzy.com/\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ac000c;\">H</span>ello<span style=\"color: #ac000c;\">Q</span>uizzy</strong></a></p>\n','I am a Jackie. I do everything the right way.','\n','publish','open','open','','i-am-a-jackie-i-do-everything-the-right-way','','','2011-02-07 17:56:20','2011-02-07 17:56:20','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=306',0,'post','',7),(307,1,'2008-10-07 11:06:07','2008-10-07 11:06:07','<p>I turned 32 last week. Which is weird, because all last year I kept telling people that I was 32 - not because I was trying to be deceitful (because, really, who brags about being 32?), I just honestly believed that I had already turned 32. So naturally I assumed that this year I would be turning 33. </p>\n\n<p>When I told my husband this (over a dinner that I did not shop for, or cook or have to worry about cleaning up) he was happy for me, &quot;Great! It&#39;s like you get an extra year!&quot;</p>\n\n<p>But to me, it&#39;s like I lost a year. Where did 31 go?</p>\n\n<p>That sounds more introspective and melodramatic than I mean for it to sound - but really, where does the time go? I remember how monumental each new birthday year used to be - how filled with promise, how different I felt at each birthday.</p>\n\n<p>Now I can hardly keep track of them. Thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three ... they&#39;re starting to blend into each other and I&#39;m surprised at how easily I&#39;ve accepted that.</p>\n\n<p>Thirty-two. I get to be thirty-two all over again. That&#39;s good, right?</p>\n','The lost year','\n','publish','open','open','','the-lost-year','','','2008-10-07 11:06:07','2008-10-07 11:06:07','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=307',0,'post','',9),(308,1,'2008-09-25 16:46:21','2008-09-25 16:46:21','<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2888538664/\" title=\"DSC_0078 by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0078\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce10c970b\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce10c970b-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>I think of it as preparation for the teen years.<br />\n</p>\n','Honestly, it doesn\'t even bother me anymore','\n','publish','open','open','','honestly-it-doesnt-even-bother-me-anymore','','','2008-09-25 16:46:21','2008-09-25 16:46:21','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=308',0,'post','',6),(309,1,'2008-09-22 17:20:24','2008-09-22 17:20:24','<p>I have been waiting for Fall since, I don&#39;t know, early August or so? I couldn&#39;t wait to stop lathering on the sunblock, to start our new preschool routine, to wear layers again. I distinctly remember hating the Spring because it couldn&#39;t get warm fast enough, and the Winter I hate because it is dark and cold and icy. That will never change, I&#39;m afraid.</p>\n\n<p>It is now September 22, and Fall! Has! Begun! My preschooler loves his school, and we have yet to actually be late to school, but the morning rush is kicking my ass so badly as I rush about trying to get him and the baby fed while putting his shoes on and looking at the clock and OMG I won&#39;t be able to shower that he has taken to standing in front of me and screaming at me, &quot;don&#39;t freak out Mama! Don&#39;t freak out!&quot;</p>\n\n<p>I&#39;m trying, but it&#39;s hard not to.</p>\n\n<p>Also, I had forgotten how much longer it takes to get out the door when everybody has to wear layers. And socks. My God! The socks! They kill me.</p>\n\n<p>We have a week an half of preschool under our belts. We got out the door today in record time. Too bad I had to turn around because we&#39;ve all caught a terrible cold, and my preschooler sounds like he has consumption. I couldn&#39;t send him to school like that. I don&#39;t want to be That Mom. You know, the one who sends her kid to school sick, so the preschooler catches the germs and gets the rest of the family sick. Like my family. I&#39;m sick as a dog. Why are these children&#39;s cold viruses so much more virulent than the ones I used to catch when I worked at an office? And why must I catch every single one the kids catch? WHY? </p>\n\n<p>So we all stayed home today. No preschool for Sebastian. No playdate for Benjamin and I. Just a quiet day at home, occasionally interrupted by a wayward hacking cough (the boys) or constant blowing of the nose (me.)</p>\n\n<p>I&#39;m cold. </p>\n\n<p>I have learned my lesson. I need to start enjoying the moment.</p>\n','The season of my discontent','\n','publish','open','open','','the-season-of-my-discontent','','','2008-09-22 17:20:24','2008-09-22 17:20:24','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=309',0,'post','',2),(310,1,'2008-09-16 14:21:04','2008-09-16 14:21:04','<p>...But not about that stupid boycott (c&#39;mon angry people - does Sarah Palin really need Oprah?)</p>\n\n<p>I don&#39;t really watch Oprah, to be honest with you. There&#39;s only so much media a person can consume before it takes over your life and I&#39;ve dropped Oprah so that I can spend my free time writing about wrinkle creams and Prada shoes. But I do respect that she uses her sizeable pulpit to push issues she cares about, and this one is important, so I will use my wee little soapbox to help her out. (Like Oprah needs my help!)</p>\n\n<p>I&#39;m pretty sure <a href=\"http://globetrekkingmom.blogspot.com/2008/09/help-pass-protect-our-children-act.html\">my friend Milena</a> sent this link out to every person she knows, and she did it twice, so I finally caved in and went over and read about Oprah&#39;s episode on <a href=\"http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/20080911_tows_predators/1\">Internet Child Predators </a>and I was shaken to my core. Go ahead and read it. Sadly, it won&#39;t tell you anything you didn&#39;t know, but it illustrates just how quickly information moves on the internet - and when that &quot;information&quot; takes the shape of a lunatic taking pictures/videos of themselves raping and abusing a child it is, of course, sickening and criminal. </p>\n\n<p>These people must be stopped, and there are many brave people who dedicate their lives to do this - but they need our help. Software exists that can track the distribution of child pornography and helps the police and FBI catch these people right where they&#39;re committing these heinous crimes - and no, I don&#39;t mean in a virtual chat room. These people need to be caught in the real world. <a href=\"http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20080911_tows_predators\">Help pass Senate Bill 1783.</a></p>\n\n<p>Now, I don&#39;t fear the internet (obviously); most kids that are molested suffer at the hands of people they know and should trust. But the truth is that just like the rest of us find support online (oh, how many times has the internet saved me from believing that I&#39;m the only mother who gets overwhelmed by grocery shopping with toddlers!) these sick people find others who will make them feel that their actions are normal - and they are not. They&#39;re criminal. Let&#39;s not pretend that this isn&#39;t a problem. It is. And we can do something about it.</p>\n','This one\'s about Oprah','\n','publish','open','open','','this-ones-about-oprah','','','2008-09-16 14:21:04','2008-09-16 14:21:04','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=310',0,'post','',1),(311,1,'2008-09-08 18:06:55','2008-09-08 18:06:55','<p>I read somewhere that if there&#39;s something you want/need to do but can&#39;t find the time, you should set a timer for 10 minutes and take care of that thing... and well, here I am!</p>\n\n<p>Summer has ended - but preschool phase-in didn&#39;t start until this week, so I&#39;ve had no childcare and two boys to entertain and exhaust for the past two weeks, and we have out of town guests, and I&#39;ve started a new job, and I&#39;ve stayed up late watching the Olympics, and then the DNC and then the RNC, and...and...well, you guys know how it is, life gets busy and then you realize that you&#39;ve gotten out of the habit of writing just for fun (that&#39;s what happens here, in case you&#39;ve forgotten. Not that I blame you.)</p>\n\n<p>So, let&#39;s catch up!</p>\n\n<p>Work. Aisledash is no more, but I&#39;ve been taken in by the awesome team at <a href=\"http://www.stylelist.com/blog/\">Stylelist</a>, so you can <a href=\"http://www.stylelist.com/blog/bloggers/roxanna-sarmiento/\">follow me there</a> if you like (fair warning: I&#39;m tasked with finding you shoes and dresses) so between that and <a href=\"http://www.blogher.com/beautyhacks\">BeautyHacks</a> I&#39;m spending a lot of <del>money</del> hours &quot;researching&quot; - poor me. I also work as a marketing consultant and we&#39;re pitching for an interesting project that I can&#39;t tell you anything about, so I&#39;ll leave it at &quot;please keep your fingers crossed for me.&quot; I&#39;m itching to start giving creative presentations again - I&#39;m envisioning myself kicking ass <em>a la</em> Don Draper, just without any of the sexism or cigarette smoke. I&#39;m not ruling out having some whiskey before presenting, though.&#0160; </p>\n\n<p>My three-year old is going to a Co-Op preschool, and I knew that this would mean that I would be involved with the school and that we would meet the other families and other things of that ilk, but I didn&#39;t realize that his already full social schedule would go on overdrive. I&#39;ve been going on twice a week playdates so that the incoming class can meet (it sounds lovely, but three year olds don&#39;t really &quot;meet&quot; each other - it&#39;s more like they fight over dump trucks at the sandbox) and the parents can socialize. The other thing is that we have to put in time at the school and the month before school starts means that the parents are at the school scrubbing floor and painting walls - I KID YOU NOT. It was fun and satisfying, but we&#39;ve never painted our own home (we rented forever, and we like the colors in our current house, so we&#39;ve never painted) so it was a little odd and terribly heartwarming to see my banker-husband painting wee-little chairs. </p>\n\n<p>The rest of the things are self-explanatory: My brother and his wife are visiting and they are awesome. The Olympics and the DNC? Awesome. The RNC? If you follow me on Twitter, you already know how I feel. </p>\n\n<p>RIIIING! RIIIIING!</p>\n\n<p>Ooops, saved by the bell...gotta go!<br /></p>\n','I can give you ten minutes','\n','publish','open','open','','i-can-give-you-ten-minutes','','','2008-09-08 18:06:55','2008-09-08 18:06:55','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=311',0,'post','',4),(312,1,'2008-09-08 00:24:33','2008-09-08 00:24:33','<p>Truly, there are no words:</p>\n\n<p><object height=\"344\" width=\"425\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/xXj-oQm-NbE&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1\" /><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" /><embed allowfullscreen=\"true\" height=\"344\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/xXj-oQm-NbE&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"425\" /></object></p>\n','Have you seen this?','\n','publish','closed','open','','have-you-seen-this','','','2008-09-08 00:24:33','2008-09-08 00:24:33','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=312',0,'post','',0),(313,1,'2008-08-25 05:35:00','2008-08-25 05:35:00','<p>I was happily flipping through <em>Vogue</em>&#39;s September issue, what I like to call the Superbowl of fashion because it weighs about 60 lbs and 80% of it is ads - glorious, outrageous, beautiful fashion ads, when I came across an article about how So Very Chic it is to take it slow and cut down on social engagements. Instead of getting all dressed up to go to a fabulous party, the hip people are putting on their yoga pants to sit on the couch and watch TV or otherwise not be social.</p>\n\n<p>I&#39;ve never felt more in - or less guilty for being addicted to both <em>Gossip Girl</em> and <em>Mad Men</em>. </p>\n\n<p>I have to take a moment here to acknowledge that my bashing <em>Vogue</em> seems to be turning into a<a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/the_diary_of_a_reluctant_/2008/06/belt-tightening.html\"> monthly feature</a> here (well, almost) - but I can&#39;t help it! I both love and loathe that magazine and will never let my subscription run out - having it arrive in my mailbox ever month, along with <em>Vanity Fair</em> and <em>Martha Stewart Living </em>(I wish I was kidding) makes me unnaturally happy - plus it&#39;s all research for work, right? At least that&#39;s what I tell my husband, and our accountant agrees with me.</p>\n\n<p>Where was I? Yes, the Slow Life movement is a trend I heartily endorse, because I&#39;m so good at it. Slow Food and Slow everything will <em>eventually</em> be the American Way - you heard it here first. Now go take a nap. It&#39;s the latest thing.</p>\n','Staying in is in. I\'ve never been hipper.','\n','publish','open','open','','staying-in-is-in-ive-never-been-hipper','','','2008-08-25 05:35:00','2008-08-25 05:35:00','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=313',0,'post','',7),(314,1,'2008-08-14 12:19:05','2008-08-14 12:19:05','<p>This is wrong on so many levels:</p>\n\n<iframe allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"393\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"http://www.cnn.com/video/savp/evp/?loc=dom&amp;vid=/video/us/2008/08/14/tucker.english.only.cnn\" width=\"406\"> </iframe><br /><p>Let me make one thing clear: I have ZERO tolerance for bullies. It&#39;s entirely possible that the child in question is talking badly about other kids, and yes, it&#39;s possible that he&#39;s doing it in Spanish so that the victims don&#39;t understand. </p>\n\n<p>That makes him both a bully and a coward (and let&#39;s face it, ALL bullies are ultimately cowards) and I believe that he must be disciplined. But is banning Spanish the way to do it?</p>\n\n<p>Of course not. That&#39;s wrong and<strong> offensive</strong>. Spanish isn&#39;t the problem - I&#39;m willing to bet that at this very moment there are kids at that very school texting nasty things about each other, passing mean notes and spreading rumors on the internet. Should the school also ban paper and cell phones because kids are saying things about other kids behind their backs? </p>\n\n<p>OF COURSE NOT. </p>\n\n<p>Paper and pens aren&#39;t&#0160; the problem. Language isn&#39;t the problem. BEHAVIOR is the problem. </p>\n\n<p>What about the other kids at the school that aren&#39;t bullies but who have the skills to speak other languages? What then? </p>\n\n<p>\nDo you agree with the English-only lawyer that said, &quot;they don&#39;t have to be there&quot;? EXCUSE ME - They\ndon&#39;t &quot;have&quot; to be at school? Where should they be instead? </p>\n\n<p>When will people stop picking on us? <a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/14/washington/14census.html?pagewanted=1&amp;em\">Maybe we&#39;ll have to wait until 2028.</a> Until then, I&#39;ll continue to speak whatever language I damn well please, wherever I want to. </p>\n','Bullied for speaking Spanish','\n','publish','open','open','','bullied-for-speaking-spanish','','','2008-08-14 12:19:05','2008-08-14 12:19:05','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=314',0,'post','',8),(315,1,'2008-08-11 12:13:16','2008-08-11 12:13:16','<p>As I was making an omelet for the boy&#39;s lunch (I&#39;d like to take a moment to thank the genius Trader Joe&#39;s buyer that decided to stock cubed pancetta - THANK YOU!) I spilled some of the raw egg/cheese/bacon bit mixture into that crevice between the stove and the kitchen counter. And a new obsession was born. </p>\n\n<p>Because, ew? Just the thought of that raw egg sticking to the wall and just sitting there being raw and salmonella-y&#0160; is enough to make me lose sleep. I&#39;m not exaggerating. </p>\n\n<p>So I immediately grab <a href=\"http://www.casabella.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc??Store_code=C&amp;Screen=PROD&amp;Product_Code=85032_1&amp;Category_code=0500\">this thing</a> (the fact that I own a crevice duster should tell you a bit about how serious I am about this) and start to try get in there and wipe away. Of course, the microfiber was soaked immediately, which was gross, but also the entire point of this exercise, so I threw the microfiber in the wash and switched to moist paper towels.</p>\n\n<p>It took about half a roll, but my efforts were not for naught, because eventually the wet towels were coming out relatively eggless.&#0160; I was feeling better about the whole incident (and the kids were probably starving because I couldn&#39;t continue cooking until I got all the egg out) until I pulled out a big fat live SPIDER. From that dark crevice between the stove and the kitchen counter that I was just telling you about.</p>\n\n<p>I almost fainted. It even had a bulging appendage. That&#39;s never a good thing to find on insects, but on a spider that was living in my kitchen and now had raw egg to feast on? NOT GOOD.</p>\n\n<p>So how&#39;s YOUR Monday going?</p>\n','That\'s what I get for digging into those dark corners','\n','publish','open','open','','thats-what-i-get-for-digging-into-those-dark-corners','','','2008-08-11 12:13:16','2008-08-11 12:13:16','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=315',0,'post','',5),(316,1,'2008-08-06 16:07:50','2008-08-06 16:07:50','<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2736300534/\" title=\"Edelweiss! by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"Edelweiss!\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce037970b\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce037970b-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a><br /><span style=\"font-size: 0.8em;\"><em>Happy cow at a national park in Styria. Or was it lower Austria? In any case, it was singing and prancing about joyously. It&#39;s good to be a cow in Austria.</em></span></p>\n\n<p>We just got back from Austria.</p>\n\n<p>Are you sick of hearing about it? Of course you are! <strong><em>I&#39;m</em></strong> sick of hearing about it. But here I am, four days after the trip has ended, and I&#39;m completely stuck. I haven&#39;t unpacked, I haven&#39;t started working at my new job (another story for another day), I have yet to make plans to see my friends. I&#39;m not sure that the reason I&#39;m so inert is my not blogging about the trip, but it makes for a convenient excuse to procrastinate the whole getting-on-with-real-life part of returning from vacation. </p>\n\n<p>So here it goes, the 2008 version of a vacation slide show:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/08/06/dsc_0007.jpg\"><img alt=\"Dsc_0007\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce042970b\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce042970b-pi.jpg\" title=\"Dsc_0007\" /></a>\n\n\n<br /><span style=\"font-size: 0.8em;\"><em>We stumbled upon a real-live-for-serious-not-at-all-ironic dirndl and lederhosen fashion show. Awesome.</em></span></p>\n\n<p>My husband will absolutely kill me for saying this, but a lot of Austria is exactly like <em>The Sound of Music</em> - green and lush and filled with people proudly wearing their <em>lederhosen</em> and <em>dirndl</em> - usually at village festivals (we went to a couple of them, one in Schoenberg and the apricot festival <em>- marillenfest -</em> in Krems.) I think this is beyond awesome and proudly dressed my oldest in the <em>lederhosen</em> his grandparents sent to him whenever the weather was warm enough - he fit right in. (Note to my fellow Americans: Traditional dress is cool, but not in Vienna. FYI.)</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2736301482/\" title=\"Prancing in the wildflowers by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"Prancing in the wildflowers\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce050970b\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce050970b-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a><br /><em><span style=\"font-size: 0.8em;\">Why are Austrian weeds so damn pretty? All we get is crabgrass. (Grazing horses, Bad Tatzmannsdorf)</span></em></p>\n\n<p>It&#39;s a country full of contrasts: You find religious imagery everywhere - in the country, where farmers erect crucifixes and statues of saints so that their crops will be abundant, in tunnels to protect travelers, in forests:</p> <p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2735473401/\" title=\"DSC_0035.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0035.JPG\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce068970b\" height=\"500\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce068970b-pi.jpg\" width=\"334\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>We stumbled upon this beautiful crucifix while visiting the Graselhohle, but then you&#39;re just as likely to stumble into a sex shop at the most odd (at least to a Bostonian) places, like oh, let&#39;s say right next to the duty-free shop at the airport:</p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2735371891/\" title=\"Sex shop. At Vienna Intl Airport. by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"Sex shop. At Vienna Intl Airport.\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce077970b\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce077970b-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p>\n\n<p><em><span style=\"font-size: 0.8em;\">Mmmmkay. Moving on...</span></em></p>\n\n<p>I loved so many things about this trip. I loved that we stayed at a<a href=\"http://www.herminenhaus.at/wb/pages/unser-haus.php\"> guesthouse run by nuns</a>, who were kind and gave us homemade bread and warm milk to help the kids sleep, but whose guestrooms had tiny little tvs with access to porn channels (are you noticing a trend?), I loved that my kids got to play <a href=\"http://www.niederleis.at/schloss.htm\">in a castle</a> with the kids that actually live there. (We also got a private tour, but the kids were much more interested in jumping on the trampoline in the courtyard than in the amazing history of the place.)</p>\n\n<p>Bust most of all? I loved Vienna. </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2736243676/\" title=\"Vienna&#39;s first district. by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"Vienna&#39;s first district.\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce07c970b\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce07c970b-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>No surprise there. Everybody does. In my opinion it&#39;s the most romantic and manageable of the world capitals, and absolutely everything is done on a grand scale here; from coffeehouses:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2736297770/\" title=\"Coffeehouse by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"Coffeehouse\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce083970b\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce083970b-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a><br /><span style=\"font-size: 0.8em;\"><em>Cafe Central, 1st district - It certainly put Dunkin&#39; Donuts to shame.</em></span></p>\n\n<p>to changing tables:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2736208276/\" title=\"The fanciest changing table EVER by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"The fanciest changing table EVER\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce087970b\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce087970b.gif\" width=\"500\" /></a><br /><span style=\"font-size: 0.8em;\"><em>Hotel Sacher. Leather, velvet, wood and gold tassels. All so you can wipe baby butt in imperial style.</em></span></p>\n\n<p>It&#39;s my kind of town - even if the Viennese are natural-born complainers. I&#39;m not badmouthing anyone here - they&#39;re proud of their curmudgery and will tell you themselves. For instance, try telling them that their city is amazingly beautiful, and they&#39;ll tell you that it&#39;s old and you&#39;re not allowed to build anything new. Tell them you like the food, &quot;Bof!&quot; they&#39;ll say, &quot;it&#39;s always the same!&quot; My advice to future travelers is to not take this negativity personally. It&#39;s truly part of their charm. One you have dinner with a group of Viennese you will understand why Sigmund Freud couldn&#39;t have existed in a different city.</p>\n\n<p>(By the way, the <a href=\"http://www.freud-museum.at/e/index.html\">Freud Museum</a> in the 9th district is a must see. The sight of the<a href=\"http://www.freud-museum.at/e/index.html\"> waiting room</a> and Freud&#39;s own personal stuff was pretty amazing. To think of all the neurosis that brewed there! Did I ever mention that I&#39;m a dork?)</p>\n\n<p>In any case, we go to Vienna pretty often because we want to visit family, so I make it a point to do something new and embarrasingly touristy (at least to my husband) every visit. This time I said that &quot;the boys&quot; (ahem) really, really wanted to ride in those pretty horse-drawn carriages.</p>\n\n<p>&quot;You mean a fiacre? Like the gullible tourists do?&quot;</p>\n\n<p>&quot;Yes.&quot;</p>\n\n<p>&quot;You know, sometimes the horses go crazy. Once a Japanese tourist was injured, almost mortally.&quot;</p>\n\n<p>&quot;So? We drive in Boston. I can take it.&quot;</p>\n\n<p>So off we went and found the most adorable black and white carriage pulled by a pair of horses I called &quot;the Kennedys&quot; (Jack and John) and driven by the sweetest girl named Isabela.</p>\n\n<p>Here they are:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/08/06/dsc_0152.jpg\"><img alt=\"Dsc_0152\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce08a970b\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce08a970b-pi.jpg\" title=\"Dsc_0152\" /></a>\n\n\n</p>\n\n<p>And here are some of the many wonderful sights we saw - </p>\n\n<p>My imaginary Viennese apartment:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2736292622/\" title=\"My imaginary viennese apartment by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"My imaginary viennese apartment\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce090970b\" height=\"500\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce090970b-pi.jpg\" width=\"334\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>Grand balconies:</p>\n\n<p>\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2735464589/\" title=\"DSC_0176.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSC_0176.JPG\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce097970b\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce097970b-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>And then just repeat this scene 167 times. You get the idea.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/08/06/dsc_0169_2.jpg\"><img alt=\"Dsc_0169_2\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce09d970b\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce09d970b-pi.jpg\" title=\"Dsc_0169_2\" /></a>\n\n\n</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The one truly cultural thing we did was catch an exhibit called &quot;Bad Painting, Good Art.&quot; With a name like that, how could we not? It was hilarious:</p>\n\n<p>\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2736295334/\" title=\"Bad painting, good art exhibit. by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"Bad painting, good art exhibit.\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce0a1970b\" height=\"500\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce0a1970b-pi.jpg\" width=\"334\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>And just awful:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/08/06/dsc_0136.jpg\"><img alt=\"Dsc_0136\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce0a6970b\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce0a6970b-pi.jpg\" title=\"Dsc_0136\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>And sometimes? It was actually pretty good:\n</p>\n\n<p>\n\n\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2736296114/\" title=\"Bad painting, good art exhibit. by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"Bad painting, good art exhibit.\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce0a8970b\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce0a8970b-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>&quot;You see that?&quot; I said to my three-year old. &quot;If you don&#39;t work hard at all on your\n\n\nart, someday your paintings could be displayed in a grand museum, just like these!&quot;</p>\n\n<p>\n\n\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2736293550/\" title=\"Bad painting, good art exhibit. by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"Bad painting, good art exhibit.\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce0ae970b\" height=\"334\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce0ae970b-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>Now, I made sure I didn&#39;t put too much pressure on him. I wouldn&#39;t want him to end up with some &quot;Freudian&quot; issues. He is half-Viennese after all. </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/08/06/dsc_0244.jpg\"><img alt=\"Dsc_0244\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce0b2970b\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce0b2970b-pi.jpg\" title=\"Dsc_0244\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>Goodbye Austria! Thanks for all the Gruner Veltliner! <br />\n\n\n</p>\n','Edelweiss...Edelweiss...','\n','publish','open','open','','edelweissedelweiss','','','2011-02-07 17:56:27','2011-02-07 17:56:27','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=316',0,'post','',7),(317,1,'2008-08-04 11:27:37','2008-08-04 11:27:37','<p>Hello! </p>\n\n<p>We&#39;re finally back, and I have tons to tell you about our trip. I wasn&#39;t able to write while away (obviously) Internet cafes are non-existent in Austria as are &quot;free&quot; WiFi signals, but I made do by twittering a few things on which I promise to expand on. </p>\n\n<p>In the meantime, we&#39;re working on recovering from jet lag (I beg of you, do not ask me about yesterday. Or the flight home. Hell hath no fury like two exhausted babies. I&#39;m forever scared and won&#39;t be going to Europe until the kids are teenagers. MARK MY WORDS.) so my brain has turned to mush. Which of course means that I just HAD to check YouTube instead of tackling email or being otherwise productive, and it was a good thing I did, because it now has video recommendations and what it recommends for me is eye-opening to say the least:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/08/04/youtuberecs.jpg\"><img alt=\"Youtuberecs\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa3a0e2970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa3a0e2970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"Youtuberecs\" /></a>\n\n\n</p>\n\n<p>Seriously folks, they couldn&#39;t be more on target. YouTube <em>gets</em> me.</p>\n','Back in Boston','\n','publish','open','open','','back-in-boston','','','2008-08-04 11:27:37','2008-08-04 11:27:37','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=317',0,'post','',2),(318,1,'2008-07-15 14:34:42','2008-07-15 14:34:42','<p>Why, hello my friends! It&#39;s been way too long - things have been crazy around here with work and trip preparations.</p>\n\n<p>(I guess those of you not on Twitter or Facebook have no clue of what I&#39;m talking about. We&#39;re going to Austria! And, <a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/the_diary_of_a_reluctant_/2006/10/what_ive_been_u.html\">this time I&#39;m<strong> not</strong> pregnant</a>, woo-hoo! And...we&#39;re doing it TODAY - like, we leave for the airport in two hours. All my clothes are on the bed, because they don&#39;t fit in the suitcase. So I decided to say hello to you instead of finding a way to make it work. OF COURSE. I&#39;m a master procrastinator.)</p>\n\n<p>(Come to me, <em>Gruner Veltliner</em>.)</p>\n\n<p>So, there will be tons of updates whenever I have internet access (which is not very likely, so don&#39;t hold your breath or anything) and I plan to take tons of pictures for you because....I bought a new camera! Yes! I&#39;m the proud owner of a Nikon D60, and I don&#39;t want to jinx things, but so far the thing seems to be idiot-proof as long as I stay in the &quot;manual&quot; setting. I guess I could learn how to use the camera for real, but that instruction manual is like a brick and did I mention that my suitcase is unpacked and I leave in two hours? Right.</p>\n\n<p>I guess I should tell you about work since I so blatantly used it as an excuse for my absence. Things are going swimmingly at <a href=\"http://www.aisledash.com\">Aisledash,</a> and I have written up all my posts for the entire month ahead of time, so for the typical AOL reader it will be like if I never left. (This also explains why I haven&#39;t had time to write here. My fingers still hurt from all that typing.) </p>\n\n<p>But I&#39;m not complaining, because I have FANTASTIC news to share! I&#39;m starting not one, but <u>two</u> new jobs! First, I&#39;m one of the <a href=\"http://www.blogher.com/introducing-beautyhacks-advice-we-can-trust-yours\">contributing editors</a> at BlogHer&#39;s <a href=\"http://www.blogher.com/beautyhacks\">BeautyHacks </a>which I&#39;m thrilled to bits about because I&#39;ll get to tell you all about my favorite beauty products - dudes, shopping at Sephora is officially my job.</p>\n\n<p>The things I do for you people.</p>\n\n<p>My second job is equally awesome, but since I won&#39;t start writing for them until after I get back from vacation I will refrain from telling you more than it has to do with shoes. And me telling you about them. I still can&#39;t believe my luck.</p>\n\n<p>OK, sorry for the boring recap, but I REALLY have to go pack now. Bye!</p>\n','Leaving on a jet plane...','\n','publish','open','open','','leaving-on-a-jet-plane','','','2008-07-15 14:34:42','2008-07-15 14:34:42','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=318',0,'post','',8),(319,1,'2008-07-04 23:50:29','2008-07-04 23:50:29','<p>We woke up to a rainy and cold July 4th - but that&#39;s certainly not enough to stop our New England town from holding its parade. You think a few droplets are going to hold us back?</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/07/04/dscn6057_2.jpg\"><img alt=\"Dscn6057_2\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39a0e970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39a0e970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"Dscn6057_2\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>\n\n\n<em>(I apologize for the fuzzy pictures, it was early - er, my camera sucks.)</em></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/07/04/dscn6034.jpg\"><img alt=\"Dscn6034\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39a25970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39a25970c.jpg\" title=\"Dscn6034\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>We enjoyed ourselves despite the rain. We got to see our usually reserved neighbors in a new light:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/07/04/dscn6027.jpg\"><img alt=\"Dscn6027\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39a3a970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39a3a970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"Dscn6027\" /></a></p>\n\n<p><em>(There are no words.)</em></p>\n\n<p>Heard some swinging jazz:</p>\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/07/04/dscn6037.jpg\"><img alt=\"Dscn6027\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39a6c970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39a6c970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"Dscn6037\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>Got to see Minutemen march down the street:</p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/07/04/dscn6043.jpg\"><img alt=\"Dscn6043\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39a82970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39a82970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"Dscn6043\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>And saw some cool rides:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/07/04/dscn6041.jpg\"><img alt=\"Dscn6041\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39a94970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39a94970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"Dscn6041\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>Of course, what did the boys care about the most? </p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/07/04/dscn6051.jpg\"><img alt=\"Dscn6051\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39aa2970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39aa2970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"Dscn6051\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>Story of my life.</p>\n\n<p>Have a happy holiday weekend, everyone!</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/07/04/dscn6057.jpg\"></a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/07/04/dscn6038.jpg\"></a></p>\n','Rainy day parade','\n','publish','open','open','','rainy-day-parade','','','2011-02-07 17:56:33','2011-02-07 17:56:33','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=319',0,'post','',4),(320,1,'2008-07-01 16:27:33','2008-07-01 16:27:33','<p>I hate to break this almost perfect streak of me not writing about anything of substance to share actual <em>news</em> with you, but screw it. I&#39;m so excited I can&#39;t help myself!</p>\n\n<p>Surely you remember the sorry state of my living room? No? You have more important things to think about you say? No worries -<a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/the_diary_of_a_reluctant_/2008/03/the-one-where-i.html\"> here&#39;s a reminder.</a> (Blogging is so useful sometimes!) </p>\n\n<p>How cold and unwelcoming - but no more! Ladies and gentlemen, I now present you...Furniture!</p>\n\n<p>TA-DA!</p>\n\n\n\n<p><img alt=\"2622896983_752ce259e8\" border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa397d3970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa397d3970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"2622896983_752ce259e8\" />\n\n\n</p>\n\n<p>Isn&#39;t it exciting! We now have actual chairs where you could sit and chat if you ever were to come visit:</p>\n\n<p><img alt=\"2623722610_8c62e10c90\" border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa397df970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa397df970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"2623722610_8c62e10c90\" /> </p>\n\n<p>And here&#39;s a view of the room:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/07/01/2623722208_51b2abeb9c.jpg\"><img alt=\"2623722208_51b2abeb9c\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39807970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39807970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"2623722208_51b2abeb9c\" /></a>\n\n\n</p>\n\n<p>I know what you&#39;re thinking, &quot;Roxanna? How can we say this nicely...your three chairs and rug are cute and all, but how could we possibly visit? There&#39;s no place to put our drinks, you have no couch - and the sun! It&#39;ll be in our eyes!&quot;</p>\n\n<p>Friends! There&#39;s no need to worry - the couch is on back order and will arrive, oh, probably never. You know how these furniture people are. I also know that the curtains will be some sort of shimmery gold, but the saleswoman pissed me off so now I need to find someone else to make them.</p>\n\n<p>I was, however, very pleased to see a picture of a couch that looks very much like the one we are waiting for on the cover or <em>House Beautiful</em> and it just so happens to be shown with curtains very similar to the ones we want:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/07/01/61kod3sl5dl_ss500_.jpg\"><img alt=\"61kod3sl5dl_ss500_\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa3981e970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa3981e970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"61kod3sl5dl_ss500_\" /></a> </p>\n\n<p>The couch will go in front of the windows here:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/07/01/2623721788_fb1c74e928.jpg\"><img alt=\"2623721788_fb1c74e928\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39829970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39829970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"2623721788_fb1c74e928\" /></a> </p>\n\n<p>Apparently I couldn&#39;t be bothered to pick up the toys before taking the picture, but I could be bothered to &quot;Photoshop&quot; the couch into the living room. See? It even came with a coffee table! If only life were so simple!</p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/07/01/dscn5995.jpg\"><img alt=\"Dscn5995\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39831970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39831970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"Dscn5995\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>Next up? Deciding what kind of tables to buy. Should we go metal and glass like on the magazine or should we go wood?</p>\n\n<p>I don&#39;t know what to do. What say you?</p>\n','Decorating the living room? It\'s on!','\n','publish','open','open','','decorating-the-living-room-its-on','','','2008-07-01 16:27:33','2008-07-01 16:27:33','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=320',0,'post','',14),(321,1,'2008-06-29 13:59:42','2008-06-29 13:59:42','<p>This makes me laugh:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.criticsrant.com/bb/reading_level.aspx\"><img alt=\"blog readability test\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/elementary_school.jpg\" style=\"border: medium none ;\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>\n\nThis makes me cry:</p>\n\n\n\n<p>\n\n<object height=\"344\" width=\"425\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/1k08yxu57NA&amp;hl=en\" /><embed height=\"344\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/1k08yxu57NA&amp;hl=en\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"425\" /></object>\n\n</p>\n\n<p>\n\nAnd <a href=\"http://hyggehouse.com/everyday/living-well-isnt-just-about-decor-and-organic-fruit\">this makes me think</a>. </p>\n\n<p>Have a nice Sunday, everyone.</p>\n','I laughed. I cried. I thought. Not bad for a lazy Sunday.','\n','publish','open','open','','i-laughed-i-cried-i-thought-not-bad-for-a-lazy-sunday','','','2008-06-29 13:59:42','2008-06-29 13:59:42','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=321',0,'post','',1),(322,1,'2008-06-27 07:01:00','2008-06-27 07:01:00','<p>I&#39;ve been on the lookout for summer clothes that are easy to wear and even easier to care for. (Remember the <a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/the_diary_of_a_reluctant_/2008/03/spring-dressing.html\">Great Dress Search</a>? I may be a bit too obsessed with &quot;machine-washable&quot; clothing.) I just worry that caring for two kids and working from home makes it way too easy to fall into the t-shirt+jeans+flip-flops rut. I want to look decent - even if I don&#39;t have to!</p>\n\n<p>Don&#39;t tell anyone, but I actually like wearing jeans and tees. I figured that there has to be happy medium; so I went shopping the other day and was delighted to find these t-shirts:<br /><img alt=\"Whirligig\" border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39a28970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39a28970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"Whirligig\" /><br /><img alt=\"Labyrinthine\" border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39a3c970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39a3c970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"Labyrinthine\" /><img alt=\"Deletta\" border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39a4b970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39a4b970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"Deletta\" />\n\n\n</p>\n\n<p>They&#39;re exactly what I needed! They&#39;re literally as easy to put on as a regular tee, but they&#39;re so interesting that they can&#39;t help but dress up my jeans and skirts. And I can look decent, even when all we have planned is an afternoon at the park. AWESOME.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.anthropologie.com\"><em>(Purchased at Anthropologie.) </em></a></p>\n\n<p>(Like you couldn&#39;t tell.)<br />\n\n\n</p>\n','Fit to a tee','\n','publish','open','open','','fit-to-a-tee','','','2008-06-27 07:01:00','2008-06-27 07:01:00','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=322',0,'post','',1),(323,1,'2008-06-26 13:01:06','2008-06-26 13:01:06','<p>Wanna see pictures from my wedding? <a href=\"http://www.aisledash.com/2008/06/26/my-small-wedding-the-big-small-wedding/\">I just posted some at Aisledash.</a> </p>\n','Hello! Are you bored?','\n','publish','open','open','','hello-are-you-bored','','','2008-06-26 13:01:06','2008-06-26 13:01:06','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=323',0,'post','',4),(324,1,'2008-06-25 07:00:00','2008-06-25 07:00:00','<p>You&#39;re probably aware of the economic gloom gripping the world - unless, of course, you&#39;re not. It seems that no one is immune, not even <em>Vogue</em>, my beloved purveyor of guilt-free frivolity. Whenever I feel guilty for buying something for myself, all I have to do is pick up the latest issue and tell myself, &quot;At least I didn&#39;t spend $900 on flip-flops,&quot; and go on with my life.</p>\n\n<p>This month&#39;s issue has a helpful piece called &quot;The Economists&quot; where their editors show us that &quot;being chic without breaking the bank is, indeed, possible.&quot; I was intrigued (how could I not be?) so I took a look at it. DUDE. Do you know what they call &quot;budget&quot; shopping? A $500 <em>per item</em> limit. That means that you could spend $495 on sunglasses and $350 on flowers and $310 on a cuff bracelet and $475 on (gorgeous) green flats and they&#39;d still consider it &quot;budget shopping.&quot;</p>\n\n<p>I love you<em> Vogue</em>, I really do. But don&#39;t jump on the frugal bandwagon when you don&#39;t have a clue. I&#39;ll stick to looking at your pretty pictures for inspiration and go elsewhere for budgeting advice, <em>thankyouverymuch</em>.</p>\n\n<p>The video below gives you a taste of what they&#39;re talking about. It&#39;s unintentionally hilarious.<iframe frameborder=\"0\" height=\"463\" marginheight=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"http://video.style.com/linking/index.jsp?skin=embed&amp;fr_story=a9c1a559675f499e58fc05d06c71e8685a2cbcdb&amp;rf=ev&amp;hl=true\" width=\"424\"> </iframe></p>\n\n<p>At the other end of the spectrum is Target. I&#39;ll confess, I&#39;m not a big fan of Target (too much stuff and way too many people in one place.) But it was hard to miss the 5-piece luggage set on sale for $49 on the cover of their Sunday circular: </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/06/23/080622_p01ne_rnnk9.jpg\"><img alt=\"080622_p01ne_rnnk9\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39bc1970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39bc1970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"080622_p01ne_rnnk9\" /></a> </p>\n\n<p>$49! What a deal! Too bad you&#39;d have to be an idiot to travel with so much luggage these days. Don&#39;t you have to pay a check-in fee of $15 per bag - <em>each</em> way? Better spend your $49 towards one decent carry-on. Because - surprise! This set is <a href=\"http://www.target.com/Embark-5-pc-Luggage-Value-Set/dp/B000K1OFPU/ref=cm_reviews_dp_seemore/602-0621319-5106213?ie=UTF8&amp;coliid=&amp;frombrowse=&amp;alt%5Fview=custReviews\">nothing but junk</a>.</p>\n','Belt tightening: It\'s all relative','\n','publish','open','open','','belt-tightening-its-all-relative','','','2008-06-25 07:00:00','2008-06-25 07:00:00','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=324',0,'post','',3),(325,1,'2008-06-24 14:42:20','2008-06-24 14:42:20','<p><iframe frameborder=\"0\" height=\"267\" src=\"http://player.vimeo.com/video/139499\" width=\"400\"></iframe></p>\n<p><a href=\"http://vimeo.com/139499\">Struwwelpeter:  The Story of Little Suck-A-Thumb</a> from <a href=\"http://vimeo.com/user156964\">thanos</a> on <a href=\"http://vimeo.com\">Vimeo</a>.</p>\n<p>&#0160;</p>\n<p>sdfsdf</p>\n','Struwwelpeter','\n','draft','open','open','','struwwelpeter','','','2008-06-24 14:42:20','2008-06-24 14:42:20','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=325',0,'post','',0),(326,1,'2008-06-23 07:08:00','2008-06-23 07:08:00','<p>I bought a packet of zinnia seeds the other day. (I swear this isn&#39;t going to turn into a gardening blog.)</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let me explain why I bought seeds: My husband was out of town and I thought that planting them and watching them grow would be a fun educational activity for my three-year old. And I was desperate for something to do with the kid, so a $5.99 packet of seeds seemed like a great idea at the time. (The time being at the grocery store with two hungry kids and an entire afternoon to fill. All by myself. Did I mention that already? WOE IS ME.)</p>\n\n<p>This may come as a shock to you, but the kid lost interest in planting the seeds after 3 minutes - coincidentally, the amount of time it took me to open the seed packet. He got bored with the seed-plant-flower life cycle and became fascinated with an earthworm. I wouldn&#39;t let him torture it with a twig, so he got angry and emptied the entire packet of seeds in one spot. And then we went inside the house because his screaming tantrum was scaring his little brother, and two screaming kids in the hot sun is No Fun At All.</p>\n\n<p>What happened next? Nothing. I completely forgot about the flowers...until yesterday that is, when I noticed a bunch of seedlings growing in the general area where Sebastian had emptied the packet of seeds. I was honestly surprised that the seeds managed to thrive since I never watered or fed them or even bothered to cover them in dirt. Since those seeds survived such neglect, I figured the least I could do was thin them out. And that is how I spent a lovely Sunday morning: Carefully digging the seedlings out, prepping the earth, and replanting them in neat little rows. I then watered them and admired my handiwork for a bit.</p>\n\n<p>It was a lot of work, but it was worth it. They looked so happy now that they could breathe!</p>\n\n\n\n<p>My hands were already dirty, so I thought I might as well go back and tackle the scary corner of the yard that has become overgrown with weeds. (I should tell you, that&#39;s where the brown hairy spiders have made their home. Funny how that works.) However, I&#39;d been such a gardening rockstar all morning that I wasn&#39;t going to let some furry insects stop me, no matter how scary and jumpy.<br /> </p>\n\n<p>So I took a deep breath, got on my knees, and go to work.</p>\n\n<p>It didn&#39;t take long for me to notice that the weeds looked...familiar - VERY familiar. I ripped one out of the ground and headed to my &quot;zinnia&quot; patch. </p>\n\n<p>It was a perfect match.</p>\n\n<p>I&#39;ve either spent a perfectly fine Sunday morning lovingly and carefully thinning weeds or the spiders have been growing zinnias, and they&#39;re better at it than me. I&#39;m pissed off either way.<br /> </p>\n','Super Zinnias','\n','publish','open','open','','super-zinnias','','','2008-06-23 07:08:00','2008-06-23 07:08:00','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=326',0,'post','',4),(327,1,'2008-06-16 14:11:57','2008-06-16 14:11:57','<p>We just spent a whirlwind weekend with my parents. They came to visit for Father&#39;s Day, which was </p>\n','Being there.','\n','draft','open','open','','being-there','','','2008-06-16 14:11:57','2008-06-16 14:11:57','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=327',0,'post','',0),(328,1,'2008-06-09 16:41:25','2008-06-09 16:41:25','<p>So, I saw <em>Sex and the City</em> a couple of weekends ago. (My <a href=\"http://www.aisledash.com/2008/06/06/movie-review-sex-and-the-city/\">review is here</a> if you want to know what I thought. Here&#39;s a hint: Meh.)</p>\n\n<p>What&#39;s interesting is that I went to see it all by myself. I had agreed to review it for work, but my husband absolutely refused to go with me; not only because he wouldn&#39;t be caught dead watching <em>SATC</em>, but because the thought of paying $80 in babysitting fees to watch a chick flick wasn&#39;t enticing to either of us. And I had to go on relatively short notice, and since all my local girlfriends are moms they need about a week&#39;s notice to secure a sitter before they can have a night out. So I just took my keys and drove myself to a 6:00PM showing on a Sunday night. I was a little nervous about becoming the type of person that goes to the movies by herself, but what else was I going to do?</p>\n\n<p>I&#39;d never been to the movies by myself, and boy have I been missing out! It was AWESOME. I didn&#39;t have to make conversation with anyone - so ironically I ended up talking with other people at the theater. I got to enjoy the movie and think my own thoughts for 2 hours. The best part? I got to eat a movie-sized Kit Kat - ALL BY MYSELF. That&#39;s huge people. I think I&#39;ll go out by myself more often!</p>\n\n<p>Also? I went to <a href=\"http://www.dedhamcommunitytheatre.com\">this local movie house</a> - where they serve wine and beer. Loved it! If you live in Boston you should check it out. It&#39;s as old as West Newton and as quirky as the Coolidge, but with a coat of fresh paint and plenty of parking. I highly recommend it as well. </p>\n','The movies','\n','publish','open','open','','the-movies','','','2008-06-09 16:41:25','2008-06-09 16:41:25','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=328',0,'post','',11),(329,1,'2008-06-03 11:10:26','2008-06-03 11:10:26','<p>Tuesday mornings are the one day a week I have a sitter - i.e. the only mid-week day I can get some work done. Some days I&#39;m so spent I just greet her in my PJs, hand over the kids and let them fend for themselves as I collapse back into bed and pay an exorbitant hourly rate so I can get some sleep.</p>\n\n<p>And then there are days like today, when I greet her at door ready to leave the house in a black 50&#39;s skirt and B&amp;W striped tee (my husband said I look like a cross-dressing mime - I do not!); days when I leave the contacts in the case and wear my nerd glasses (-6.5 right eye, -5.75 left eye - yes I&#39;m blind) and I head out the door to get my first pedicure of the year. </p>\n\n<p>Is there anything more decadent?</p>\n\n<p>Probably. But I have small kids, and at this stage in my life it&#39;s about as good as it gets.</p>\n\n<p>I always spend WAY too much time reading the names of the OPI and ESSIE bottles at the nail salon - tempted by new colors and funny names like &quot;Argenteeni Pinkiny,&quot; &quot;High Maintenance,&quot; and &quot;My Chihuahua Bites!&quot; But I always go with my favorite color, a red so sexy and classic and candy perfect that today a stranger at the coffee shop where I&#39;m working asked me for the name of the color. </p>\n\n<p>Because we&#39;re friends, I&#39;ll tell you guys too: My go-to fail-safe pedicure color is Opi&#39;s Chick Flick Cherry (see it on another woman&#39;s toes <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/sanfranannie/1440091988/in/set-72157601900594527/\">here</a> because I don&#39;t have a camera with me.) Trust me, it&#39;ll look awesome on you.</p>\n\n<p>Tell me, what&#39;s your favorite polish? Maybe I&#39;ll try it next time I get a pedicure...</p>\n','The Perfect Red','\n','publish','open','open','','the-perfect-red','','','2008-06-03 11:10:26','2008-06-03 11:10:26','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=329',0,'post','',14),(330,1,'2008-05-28 07:51:00','2008-05-28 07:51:00','<p>I&#39;ve been on a happy streak lately (have you noticed?) and I&#39;m determined to make it last as long as possible. (Listen, I know it can&#39;t last forever, but you can&#39;t blame a girl for trying.) So when a woman blatantly cut in front of me at the check out line at Trader Joe&#39;s I did everything in my power not to tap her on the shoulder and explain to her that her RUDE MANEUVER did not go unnoticed. Instead I laughed (more like cackled maniacally) and looked around for a shorter line.</p>\n\n<p>(For the curious, she was in another line and then pretended that she was going in front of me to look at the Graham Crackers on the display in my check-out lane. She picked them up, started &quot;reading&quot; the label, put them back and then just stood there. HELLO? RUDE MANEUVER.)</p>\n\n<p>I decided that I wasn&#39;t going anywhere, I was just going to stand really close to her and do my best to make her uncomfortable while holding on to my happiness (dammit!), when the store manager tapped me on the shoulder and opened a register just for me.</p>\n\n<p>Ha!</p>\n\n<p>To make things even sweeter, he rang up my groceries in record time so she was still in line as I was exiting the store. I waved goodbye (which she had to pretend not to see - after all I had been invisible but a few minutes before) and her cashier smiled and waved back in that earnest Trader Joe&#39;s way, further slowing her down.</p>\n\n<p>BWAHAHAHAHAHA!</p>\n\n<p>Karma, you&#39;re quite lovely sometimes. Thank you.</p>\n','Instant Karma','\n','publish','open','open','','instant-karma','','','2008-05-28 07:51:00','2008-05-28 07:51:00','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=330',0,'post','',8),(331,1,'2008-05-26 07:29:00','2008-05-26 07:29:00','<p><em>&quot;Can&#39;t you see the\nteacup is full? You can&#39;t pour tea into a full teacup!&quot; - Buddhist teaching<br /></em></p>\n\n<p>When I quit my job back in 2004 (!) I literally didn&#39;t know what my next steps would be - I knew I didn&#39;t like my job but I didn&#39;t have anything lined up to take its place.</p>\n\n<p>(I was pregnant, but I wouldn&#39;t find out until later that evening. My decision was based solely on what I wanted for myself. It was selfish, if you will.) </p>\n\n<p>All I knew is that all the energy I was putting into that job was literally making me sick to my stomach&#0160; and I simply couldn&#39;t do it anymore.</p>\n\n<p>(OK, maybe morning sickness had something to do with it, but I didn&#39;t know that at the time.)\n\n</p>\n\n<p>So I took a deep breath, walked into my boss&#39; office and quit.</p>\n\n<p>She assumed that I was being coy about my plans because I was leaving to work for a competitor and at first tried to get me to spill the beans - probably because she wanted out too.</p>\n\n<p>&quot;I swear. I really don&#39;t know what I&#39;m doing next.&quot;</p>\n\n<p>&quot;You&#39;re serious.&quot;</p>\n\n<p>&quot;All I know is that I won&#39;t be working here. Or in another big company. At least not for a while. I want to try something different.&quot;</p>\n\n<p>&quot;Like what?&quot;</p>\n\n<p>&quot;I don&#39;t know.&quot;</p>\n\n<p>At first, saying that out loud felt like I was admitting defeat: I don&#39;t know. Who says that? Not Type A careerists like me! But the more I said it, the more comfortable I became with the concept - I could accept that I didn&#39;t know what I wanted. I wanted to keep my options open. I had made a mistake and was going to own up to it: I did not want the corporate job after all.</p>\n\n<p>I had given two (or maybe three?) week&#39;s notice, and dutifully worked at finishing up projects and tying up loose ends. I blissfully closed up shop and handed over my projects and timelines with a clear conscience.</p>\n\n<p>I remember waking up happy as can be on my first Monday of Freedom, my mind clear with the simplicity of my new life. </p>\n\n<p>Not so fast, sister.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The phone rang at 9:00 am. It was a headhunter. She was calling me about what two years before had been my dream job - to become a cosmetics buyer for one of the largest retailers in the US. I hesitated for a second, but then I told her the truth - I wasn&#39;t interested.</p>\n\n<p>That felt good. I had learned the hard way that I didn&#39;t want the corporate life, and I wasn&#39;t about to get suckered back in.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then a month later my old company called, offering more money and promotion. They thought I had been playing hardball, and they cried uncle.</p>\n\n<p>It was all I could do not to laugh. </p>\n\n<p>&quot;I was serious when I quit. But thank you.&quot;</p>\n\n<p>&quot;Come back.&quot;</p>\n\n<p>&quot;I&#39;m pregnant,&quot; I blurted out. &quot;No thanks.&quot;</p>\n\n<p>Silence.</p>\n\n<p>&quot;Then consult for us. What are your rates?&quot;</p>\n\n<p>I had never considered consulting - but it sounded good. I negotiated my rates and my terms:</p>\n\n<p>&quot;I refuse to work on any projects with my old boss. I&#39;m not covering for her lazy ass anymore.&quot;</p>\n\n<p>&quot;Can&#39;t blame you.&quot;</p>\n\n<p>&quot;I&#39;ll come in after 10 AM. And my contract ends exactly 30 days before my due date. I want time off before I become a mom.&quot;</p>\n\n<p>&quot;Deal.&quot;</p>\n\n<p>And that, my friends, was the first step in the strange and meandering path that is my work life. I haven&#39;t looked back on my old corporate life and I certainly haven&#39;t been bored. I&#39;ve been honest about what I want, and more often than not I get it. And when I don&#39;t? It&#39;s not the end of the world. I&#39;ve taken on so many interesting projects (not all for pay) and learned so much from every single one.</p>\n\n<p>I just went through a month when I got rid of things that were weighing\nme down and cut off people from my life that didn&#39;t have my best\ninterests in mind. And because nature abhors a vacuum, as soon as I got\nrid of the dead weight awesome things have taken their place. I&#39;ve been\ninvited to take on great new projects. I&#39;ve met amazing new people that\nmake me laugh and cry (with laughter.)</p>\n\n<p>I&#39;m not saying you should quit your job - I don&#39;t know you. Maybe you love your job but something else in your life is driving you crazy. What I&#39;m saying is that if something is in your life and you hate it, get\nrid of it. You have to make room in your life for what you want - even if that scares the pants off you.</p>\n','Empty teacups','\n','publish','open','closed','','empty-teacups','','','2008-05-26 07:29:00','2008-05-26 07:29:00','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=331',0,'post','',11),(332,1,'2008-05-14 16:39:30','2008-05-14 16:39:30','<p>It all started with the tulip bulbs we planted last October:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2493194818/\" title=\"DSCN5855.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSCN5855.JPG\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa3980b970c\" height=\"375\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa3980b970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>When I got the coupon offering $25 worth of free bulbs, I thought &quot;why not?&quot;, and sent in an order for the cheapest bulbs in the catalog: 50 red tulips for $24.99. As an added bonus, they said they&#39;d throw in a few &quot;fancy&quot; types. They weren&#39;t kidding:<br /> </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2493192712/\" title=\"DSCN5849.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSCN5849.JPG\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa3982c970c\" height=\"375\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa3982c970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>When the bulbs arrived in October I bundled up Sebastian and we planted the bulbs in front of the house. We had a fun, if frigid, afternoon digging in the dirt and promptly forgot about our tulips until they made their presence known in the earliest days of spring.</p>\n\n<p>Those stiff stalks peeking through the last bits of ice and snow gave me hope that Spring would come and give us glorious days like the last few we&#39;ve been enjoying round these parts.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2492372223/\" title=\"DSCN5857.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSCN5857.JPG\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa3983d970c\" height=\"375\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa3983d970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>Spring is here, and our home has surprised us with the absolute beauty of the plants in our front garden and backyard. My allergies are KILLING me, but we definitely have a &quot;Spring Garden&quot; and I love it.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2492371963/\" title=\"DSCN5848.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSCN5848.JPG\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39862970c\" height=\"375\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39862970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>I love flowers. I really, really do.</p>\n\n<p>We moved in last summer, when all that was blooming was the huge Rhododenron in the back of the yard, and I remember how boring I thought our yard was. I envied the neighbors. So I&#39;ve spent the last few days buying plants that will extend the flowering season in our little corner of the world. I&#39;m not a natural gardener, so I&#39;ve been educating myself and thinking about what I want. So far, I&#39;ve planted white peonies and white hydrangeas in the hope of creating a moon garden we can enjoy while grilling dinner under the stars.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2492373135/\" title=\"DSCN5844.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSCN5844.JPG\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39871970c\" height=\"375\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39871970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>Let&#39;s see what happens come July. I&#39;m hopeful we won&#39;t kill anything. For now, I&#39;m enjoying reading under the intoxicating fragrance of our baby lilacs.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2493190626/\" title=\"DSCN5861.JPG by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"DSCN5861.JPG\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39886970c\" height=\"375\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39886970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p>\n','Florimania','\n','publish','open','open','','florimania','','','2008-05-14 16:39:30','2008-05-14 16:39:30','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=332',0,'post','',13),(333,1,'2008-05-09 15:05:54','2008-05-09 15:05:54','<p>This is a brilliant idea and, like most ideas that have the potential to change the world, it wasn&#39;t mine. Dammit.</p>\n<p>I was going to kick myself for not coming up with this first, but I decided to spread the word instead. I&#39;ll let <a href=\"http://easyandelegantlife.com/2008/04/30/the-movement/\">The Elegantologist</a> explain:</p>\n<blockquote><p style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">June 7th, 2008 will mark the 230th anniversary of Beau Brummell’s birth. I propose that the 4,000 - 6,000 readers I have mark the event with a day of celebration of personal style. Our mis-en-scene will be the world at large.</span>&#0160;\n\n<br /> </p>\n\n<p style=\"font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Make it a point to gather several well-dressed friends (the more the merrier) and head for a local watering hole, museum, theatre or other public venue. Dress better than you have to. En mass, a statement will be made. Beauty will be in the eyes of the beholders and maybe, just maybe, someone will think it’s a movement. The news media will pick up on the sudden reëmergence of elegance. Strangers will be compelled to rethink the day’s shabby wardrobe choices. Long dormant manners will see the light of day. Heads will turn and polite smiles will be exchanged.</span></p>\n</blockquote>\n<p><strong>JUNE 7, 2008</strong> - Mark your calendars. Have fun and be fabulous! I can&#39;t wait!</p>\n','You say you want a revolution? Here you go:','\n','publish','open','closed','','you-say-you-want-a-revolution-here-you-go','','','2008-05-09 15:05:54','2008-05-09 15:05:54','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=333',0,'post','',6),(334,1,'2008-05-06 22:19:51','2008-05-06 22:19:51','<p>This takes me back to South Beach - specifically GrooveJet (or Liquid, same difference) circa 1997 and it makes me laugh because those guys? Were EVERYWHERE. All that&#39;s missing is the plastic cup of rum and coke.</p>\n\n<p><object height=\"355\" width=\"425\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/ngRq82c8Baw&amp;hl=en\" /><param name=\"wmode\" value=\"transparent\" /><embed height=\"355\" src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/ngRq82c8Baw&amp;hl=en\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"425\" wmode=\"transparent\" /></object>\n\n</p>\n\n<p>(If you think this is funny, you should see me ordering food at a French restaurant. Let&#39;s just say I point and say &quot;Si!&quot;. A lot. Turns out a semester of French isn&#39;t very helpful either.)</p>\n','Someone\'s been watching too much Telemundo...','\n','publish','open','open','','someones-been-watching-too-much-telemundo','','','2008-05-06 22:19:51','2008-05-06 22:19:51','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=334',0,'post','',2),(335,1,'2008-05-02 14:13:50','2008-05-02 14:13:50','<p><em>Last night.</em><br /><strong><br />Husband:</strong> &quot;What are you doing?&quot;</p>\n\n<p><strong>Me: </strong>&quot;Watching an interview with the <em>Sex and City</em> girls.&quot;</p>\n\n<p><strong>Husband:</strong> &quot;No, I mean on the computer.&quot;</p>\n\n<p><strong>Me:</strong> &quot;Researching blue nail polish.&quot;<strong><br /></strong></p>\n\n<p><strong>Husband:</strong> &quot;Is that Oprah?&quot;</p>\n\n<p><strong>Me: </strong>&quot;Yes&quot;<br /><strong><br />Husband:</strong> &quot;I&#39;m going to Home Depot.&quot;</p>\n','Estrogen overload','\n','publish','open','open','','estrogen-overload','','','2008-05-02 14:13:50','2008-05-02 14:13:50','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=335',0,'post','',4),(336,1,'2008-04-26 22:31:01','2008-04-26 22:31:01','<p>Thank you. Your words have meant so much.</p>\n\n<p>I&#39;m now at home - my parent&#39;s house. Everyone is well. My father was released from the hospital on Friday and now has a fancy pacemaker/defibrillator in his chest and is recovering very nicely.</p>\n\n<p>(The wonders of medicine.)</p>\n\n<p>I&#39;ll be spending time with my family the next few days, not doing much of anything. My husband&#39;s back in Boston with the two boys - this was the first time I&#39;ve flown without a child in 3 years. It was relaxing, even in seat 20D waaaaay back in coach.</p>\n\n<p>In much more interesting news, it looks like I&#39;ll get to meet the police officer that saved my dad&#39;s life. I don&#39;t know what I can say to him to fully convey how grateful I am to him. I&#39;m considering getting his name tattooed across my forehead, but that may be a bit too much. We&#39;ll see.</p>\n\n<p>Next project - enrolling in a CPR class. I&#39;m serious. CPR is the new black. If I were to suddenly become a Miss America contestant, that would be my cause/platform: CPR. Learn it. Love it.<br /> </p>\n','Update: Relief','\n','publish','open','open','','update-relief','','','2008-04-26 22:31:01','2008-04-26 22:31:01','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=336',0,'post','',11),(337,1,'2008-04-24 12:35:37','2008-04-24 12:35:37','<p>My father&#39;s heart stopped beating last Tuesday night. He was at the gym and went into <a href=\"http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4481\">cardiac arrest</a> - from what I understand, he stopped breathing. He had no <a href=\"http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4741\">pulse.</a></p>\n\n<p>A police officer happened to be working out next to him. He immediately performed CPR and saved his life. The health club had a <span class=\"content\" xmlns:fo=\"http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Format\">defibrillator</span> and saved his life. Some kind soul called 911 and saved his life.</p>\n\n<p>My father is a very lucky man. But his heart is broken, and so is mine.</p>\n\n<p><em>Do me a favor: <strong>Learn <a href=\"http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3040526\">CPR.</a> </strong>Please. You never know when you&#39;ll save a life. </em></p>\n','Heart. Broken.','\n','publish','open','open','','heart-broken','','','2008-04-24 12:35:37','2008-04-24 12:35:37','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=337',0,'post','',16),(338,1,'2008-04-22 09:24:43','2008-04-22 09:24:43','This is my favorite photo of Coco Chanel. I love the cool confidence in her eyes, her carefully styled hair, the creamy strands of pearls casually piled up on her shoulders. Heck, I even like the way she\'s defiantly pointing her cigarette at us, daring us to question her.\r\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><img class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39bf7970c \" style=\"margin: 1px;\" title=\"154161\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39bf7970c-pi.jpg\" alt=\"154161\" border=\"0\" /><em></em>\r\n<em></em></div>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><span style=\"font-size: 0.8em;\">In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different. - Coco Chanel</span></em></p>\r\nIt\'s a photograph of a woman who has confidence - in her intelligence, her taste, her femininity. The picture of a lady in her lipstick and pearls, she\'s also as cuddly as a porcupine. The magic of being a girl is that you can run the world in earrings and heels, if you choose.\r\n\r\nIt\'s a beautiful picture and, in my eyes, it\'s enhanced by the obvious colorization. I love colorized photos! They\'re much more honest than the photo-shopped atrocities that get passed on as the truth nowadays. We all know that no living human being is actually that flawless in appearance - the colorization is more art than journalism, although when I was little I thought that the past really was saturated in color.\r\n\r\nHere\'s the non-colorized picture. It\'s still beautiful, just not as striking:\r\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><img class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39c08970c \" title=\"7784_2\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39c08970c-pi.jpg\" alt=\"7784_2\" border=\"0\" /></div>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><span style=\"font-size: 0.8em;\">Elegance is refusal.</span><span style=\"font-size: 0.8em;\"> - Coco Chanel</span></em></p>\r\nChanel\'s <a href=\"http://www.coololdstuff.com/coco.html\">life story</a> is quite interesting, and while she made some <a href=\"http://www.time.com/time/time100/artists/profile/chanel.html\">questionable</a> choices, I think that the essence of her story is inspiring. How she became an orphan and learned to sew from the nuns who raised her. How she rebelled and became a cabaret singer (which earned her the \"Coco\" nickname). How the rich women around her mocked her for being skinny in a time when voluptuousness was the ideal, and for not wearing the expensive and complicated clothes that were fashionable at the time.\r\n\r\nHow instead of striving for what she couldn\'t have, she made the most with what she did. When a wealthy suitor offered her anything she wanted, she opted for a lease instead of diamonds. How she opened her shop, and designed clothes made out of inexpensive and wearable materials that would fit and flatter her skinny frame. How her famous \"little black dress\" was inspired by the shapeless frocks of the nuns from that orphanage from so long ago. How she freed women from the corseted and petticoated clothes she was supposed to aspire to.\r\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><img class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39c1c970c \" title=\"8558\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39c1c970c-pi.jpg\" alt=\"8558\" border=\"0\" /></div>\r\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 0.8em;\"><em>The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud. - Coco Chanel</em></span></div>\r\nThe photo above is from the same 1936 photoshoot. I like that picture too because it shows a less stylized, more relaxed Chanel. She was in her fifties by then, and while I love the colorized and airbrushed photo I also appreciate the beauty of reality.\r\n\r\nMore photos and quotes after the jump\r\n\r\n(Photo credits: <a href=\"http://www.parisenimages.fr/fr/galerie-des-collections-selection.html?mots=coco+chanel&amp;x=0&amp;y=0\">Parisenimage</a>)\r\n\r\n<!--more-->\r\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><img title=\"79016\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/04/21/79016.jpg\" alt=\"79016\" border=\"0\" /></div>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><span style=\"font-size: 0.8em;\">Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury</span><span style=\"font-size: 0.8em;\"> - Coco Chanel</span></em></p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><img title=\"30304\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/04/21/30304.jpg\" alt=\"30304\" border=\"0\" /></div>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><span style=\"font-size: 0.8em;\">How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something but to be someone. </span><span style=\"font-size: 0.8em;\"> - Coco Chanel</span></em></p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><img title=\"27466\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/04/21/27466.jpg\" alt=\"27466\" border=\"0\" /></div>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 0.8em;\"><em>Some people think luxury is the opposite of poverty. It is not. It is the opposite of vulgarity. - Coco Chanel</em></span></p>','Coco','','publish','open','open','','coco','','','2012-04-02 23:21:32','2012-04-03 03:21:32','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=338',0,'post','',3),(3522,1,'2012-04-02 23:22:38','2012-04-03 03:22:38','Since I\'m light years away from my old MBA days, I sometimes pick up the Financial Times purely for entertainment purposes. Sometimes this means that I sit there and scoff/drool at what rich business people in England do with their money and sometimes it means I take away more than I bargained for. For example, I loved<a href=\"http://www.howtospendit.com/#!/articles/6921-feature-travelling-warrior-class\"> this article</a> where the writer takes a working vacation to dabble in the japanese martial arts -- namely sumo wresting, which was meh, and a class with a ninja master, which was, maybe predictably, awesome.\n\nFor example, ninja are supposed to \"<strong>be good at 100 things</strong>\" -- can you imagine? Being physically agile and super sneaky (plus deadly, the part is that most impressive to my boys) you are also supposed to cultivate interestes outside of kicking ass. So ninja dabbled in gardening and calligraphy and poetry or whatever it is they wanted to learn. I want to be good at many things too; definitely not 100, but I\'m going to work on a list of things I want to get good at. And then I\'m going to take lessons.\n\nAlso, they felt that <strong>training should be fun because you learn more if you enjoy it</strong>. Makes sense to me. And don\'t forget the importance of <strong>learning by doing</strong> -- endless research on the internet isn\'t going to turn you into a ninja\n\nBut my favorite paragraph has to be this,\n<blockquote>The ninja\'s special skill, really, is to think outside the box and do the unexpected, In a land famed for its strict adherence to tradition in all things, you can see how effective a technique that can be.</blockquote>\nReminds me of the <a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/2008/04/coco.html\">Coco Chanel</a> quote: \"In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.\"','How to be a ninja. Everyday #93','','inherit','open','open','','3515-revision-2','','','2012-04-02 23:22:38','2012-04-03 03:22:38','',3515,'http://www.everydaytreats.com/2012/04/3515-revision-2.html',0,'revision','',0),(339,1,'2008-04-19 16:08:51','2008-04-19 16:08:51','<p>It&#39;s been five days since I last posted - don&#39;t you find that the longer you wait between posting the easier it is not to care? </p>\n\n<ul><li>I don&#39;t really have a real reason for not posting, other than <a href=\"http://www.aisledash.com/bloggers/roxanna-sarmiento/\">working</a> <em>really</em> <em>hard</em> finding cute <a href=\"http://www.aisledash.com/2008/04/14/pink-and-brown-flowers/\">pink</a> and <a href=\"http://www.aisledash.com/2008/04/16/dress-of-the-day-eliza-j-strapless-satin-party-dress/\">brown</a> wedding stuff and making <a href=\"http://www.aisledash.com/category/inspiration-boards/\">inspiration</a> boards. (OK, one. But since Photoshop and I are not friends it was hard, y&#39;all) Have I told you how much I love writing for a wedding blog? I love it *thiiiiiiis* much. Because <a href=\"http://www.aisledash.com/2008/04/15/pink-shoes-for-the-bride-pink-shoes-for-the-bridesmaids/\">getting paid to look at pink shoes</a>? IS AWESOME.</li></ul>\n\n<ul><li>I&#39;ve cut back on some commitments and it&#39;s been a huge relief - the biggest one by far was for the local mother&#39;s group (500 mothers strong - my husband calls it the Local Mother&#39;s Mafia) where I was responsible for securing discounts for our members from local merchants. As much as I enjoyed combining my marketing experience with the influence of 500 MOMS to <del>extort</del> convince local businesses to hook us up, it was just taking up way too much valuable outdoor time. So goodbye!</li></ul>\n\n<ul><li>Speaking of Mother&#39;s Mafia...My one male reader seems to be getting a little bored with all the feminine content on the blog. Why do I say that? Oh, because he <a href=\"http://www.citizenofthemonth.com/2008/04/15/can-men-and-women-bloggers-just-be-friends/\">made fun</a> of people who blog about celebrities and their strollers exactly one day after <a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/the_diary_of_a_reluctant_/2008/04/salma-hayek-jus.html\">this post</a>.&#0160; I joked about being hurt by this and must not have been the only one, because the next day he wrote the <a href=\"http://www.citizenofthemonth.com/2008/04/16/celebrity-strollers/\">Celebrity Stroller Post to End All Celebrity Stroller Posts</a>. Everybody wants to be a mommyblogger these days! (Good work, Neil! I&#39;ll be back to poking you on Facebook soon!)</li></ul>\n\n<ul><li>You&#39;ve all seen the lovely <a href=\"http://whoorl.com/archives/855\">Whoorl</a> featured in the NY Times, right? I&#39;m so proud of her! Go and spread the hair gospel, girlfriend!</li></ul>\n','Saturday Randomness','\n','publish','open','open','','saturday-randomness','','','2008-04-19 16:08:51','2008-04-19 16:08:51','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=339',0,'post','',1),(340,1,'2008-04-14 17:21:51','2008-04-14 17:21:51','<p><img alt=\"Feb8salma2\" border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39b21970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39b21970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"Feb8salma2\" /></p>\n\n<p>That&#39;s Salma Hayek and her fiance Francois-Henri Pinault, the billionaire CEO of <a href=\"http://www.ppr.com/\">PPR</a> (the company that owns luxury houses Gucci, Balenciaga, Boucheron, etc), pushing the most basic of strollers - a Graco.</p>\n\n<p>That, my friends, is the true meaning of luxury.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>My favorite definition of luxury is &quot;<a href=\"http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/luxury\"><em>a pleasure out of the ordinary allowed to oneself</em></a>.&quot;\nIt has nothing to do with flashy logos or things that are expensive\nsolely for the sake of being expensive.</p>\n\n<p>Why spend a fortune on a &quot;luxury&quot; stroller when your baby couldn&#39;t care less? The Graco is practical and safe. (Of course, they&#39;re probably wearing thousands of dollars in beautiful clothes - just look at her gorgeous coat - but they can afford it. And they get to enjoy looking good for each other. Good for them.)</p>\n\n<p>What a breath of fresh air.</p>\n\n<p><em>(Photo from People en Español)</em></p>\n','True Luxury','\n','publish','open','open','','true-luxury','','','2008-04-14 17:21:51','2008-04-14 17:21:51','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=340',0,'post','',7),(341,1,'2008-04-12 14:24:51','2008-04-12 14:24:51','<p>Today, we&#39;re throwing my second favorite type of party: A dinner party for new friends (my favorite party is, of course, a dinner party for old friends - with luck our new friends will soon be part of that category.) I&#39;m in the midst of dusting, mopping and opening windows to let in the new spring air - but mostly I&#39;m putting off the inevitable trip to the grocery store.</p>\n\n<p>(Grocery shopping is a fool&#39;s errand if you ask me. Hate!)</p>\n\n<p>I don&#39;t like surprises, so when I entertain I cook the same things I make for dinner on a regular basis - what makes it special is the presentation and the addition of appetizers and a nice dessert. (Oh, let&#39;s face it - the increased consumption of alcohol helps too!) But the actual cooking needs to be stress-free, because I like to enjoy myself at my own party.</p>\n\n<p>The March issue of <a href=\"http://www.marthastewart.com/everyday\">Everyday Food</a> has a recipe for Balsamic Skirt Steak with Polenta and Roasted Tomatoes that has become a favorite dinner for us. The recipe&#39;s not up on the magazine&#39;s website, but thanks to the power of Google I found a blogger who <a href=\"http://idinealone.blogspot.com/2008/02/balsamic-skirt-steak-with-polenta-and.html\">posted the recipe with step by step pictures</a> - look at how easy Dining Alone makes it look! </p>\n\n<p>I highly recommend you try making it - it&#39;s super easy and the end result is delicious. It&#39;s a good mix of light and satisfying. Our local grocery chain doesn&#39;t have skirt steak, so I make it with steak tips and it&#39;s still awesome.</p>\n\n<p>I&#39;ll probably put out some bread, cheese, olives, and figs to niggle on while I cook and we&#39;ll have something made with chocolate and raspberries for dessert. Before having kids I would&#39;ve baked something the day before, but with two little boys running around I think it&#39;s best I leave it to <a href=\"http://www.breadnchocolate.com/aboutus.html\">the pros</a>. The Ipod is loaded with my beloved Pink Martini and Louis Armstrong - I think we&#39;re ready to go!</p>\n\n<p>Wishing everyone a happy Saturday!</p>\n','Call me Mrs. Dalloway...','\n','publish','open','open','','call-me-mrs-dalloway','','','2008-04-12 14:24:51','2008-04-12 14:24:51','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=341',0,'post','',1),(342,1,'2008-04-11 15:07:58','2008-04-11 15:07:58','<p>&quot;You are <u>not</u> a princess today!&quot; <em><br /><br />What my three year-old said after seeing today&#39;s outfit (sweatshirt+jeans+slippers - SO SUE ME.)</em></p>\n','My harshest critic...','\n','publish','open','open','','my-harshest-critic','','','2008-04-11 15:07:58','2008-04-11 15:07:58','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=342',0,'post','',4),(343,1,'2008-04-09 07:31:00','2008-04-09 07:31:00','<p>I&#39;ve finally gotten around to adding a links page.<a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/links-i-like\">(It&#39;s right here.)</a> Please note that this is not a list of every blog I read. It&#39;s not even a list of the greatest websites I&#39;ve ever come across. It&#39;s just a snapshot of some really good reads I&#39;m digging right now - a work in progress, if you will.</p>\n\n<p>Anyways, it&#39;s a big internet. If you&#39;re looking for something good to read, it&#39;s as good a place to start as any. Enjoy!</p>\n','Links!','\n','publish','open','open','','links-2','','','2011-02-07 19:13:57','2011-02-07 19:13:57','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=343',0,'page','',0),(344,1,'2008-04-08 23:25:40','2008-04-08 23:25:40','<p><a href=\"http://www.amalah.com\">Amalah</a><br />\n</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://thebloggess.com/\">The Bloggess<br />\n</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://chickychickybaby.blogspot.com/\">Chicky Chicky Baby<br /></a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.citizenofthemonth.com/\">Citizen of the Month<br />\n</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.crazyauntpurl.com/\">Crazy Aunt Purl</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://creaturecomforts.typepad.com/my_weblog/\">Creature Comforts<br /></a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.dooce.com/\">Dooce</a><br />\n</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://finslippy.typepad.com/\">Finsplippy</a><br />\n</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.fridayplaydate.com/\">Friday Playdate<br />\n</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://girlsgonechild.blogspot.com/\">Girl&#39;s Gone Child<br />\n</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://happiness-project.com/\">The Happiness Project</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.hostessblog.com/\">Hostess with the Mostess</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.jonniker.com/\">Jonniker</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://theselittlemoments.wordpress.com/\">These Little Moments</a><br />\n</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://metalia.blogspot.com/index.html\">Metalia</a> </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://nibsblog.wordpress.com/\">Nibs</a> </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.nothingbutbonfires.com\">Nothing But Bonfires<br /></a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://jordanferney.blogspot.com/\">Oh Happy Day<br /></a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.sarcomical.com\">Sarcomical</a><br />\n</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/\">The Sartorialist<br /></a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://sliceofpink.typepad.com/\">Slice of Pink<br />\n</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://whoorl.com/\"></a><a href=\"http://sweatpantsmom.blogspot.com/\">Sweatpants Mom</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://whoorl.com/\">Whoorl</a></p>\n','Links I Like','\n','publish','closed','closed','','links-i-like','','','2008-04-08 23:25:40','2008-04-08 23:25:40','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=344',0,'page','',0),(345,1,'2008-04-07 21:56:39','2008-04-07 21:56:39','<p>We&#39;re proudly displaying this original piece over the family room fireplace:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/04/07/dscn5805.jpg\"><img alt=\"Dscn5805\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce0cb970b\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef0120a93ce0cb970b-pi.jpg\" title=\"Dscn5805\" /></a></p>\n\n<p><em>&quot;Fishy&quot; 2008<br /><br />Artist: Sebastian, aged 3<br /><br /></em><em>Medium: Tempera on Wood<br /><br />Purchase price: One LU &quot;Little Schoolboy&quot; cookie and a chocolate milk. Before dinner.<br /></em>\n\n\n</p>\n','Priceless Work of Art','\n','publish','open','open','','priceless-work-of-art','','','2008-04-07 21:56:39','2008-04-07 21:56:39','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=345',0,'post','',4),(346,1,'2008-04-01 14:27:47','2008-04-01 14:27:47','<p>When I first read the funny/sweet/touching posts at <a href=\"http://mrs.flinger.us/index.php/summer06/blog_permalink/friday_flashback_time/\">Mrs. Flinger</a>, <a href=\"http://whoorl.com/archives/816\">Whoorl</a>, and <a href=\"http://www.mamalogues.com/2008/03/what_i_would_grab_if_my_house.html\">Mamalogues</a> about their favorite childhood items I thought that it was very sweet that they actually had a tangible part of their childhood with them, because I sure didn&#39;t. I&#39;ve moved around too much for that, and <a href=\"http://diary.blogs.com/the_diary_of_a_reluctant_/2008/01/decluttering.html\">I&#39;m pretty intense about decluttering</a>. </p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Then I remembered a certain little someone who has been patiently by my side for at least 25 years:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2370946719/\" title=\"My Monchichi by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"My Monchichi\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39882970c\" height=\"375\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39882970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a>\n\n</p>\n\n<p>I don&#39;t even remember ever not having my Monchichi - I just remember that I LOVED him when I was a little girl. It was the only toy I ever truly loved - I couldn&#39;t care less about Barbie, and other stuffed animals were just more things to put away at the end of the day.</p>\n\n<p>But Monchihi was different. He <em>is </em>different. Just look at his face! Could you imagine throwing him out? I can&#39;t:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2370946385/\" title=\"Monchichi by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"Monchichi\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa398ae970c\" height=\"375\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa398ae970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>I remember cleaning his face with rubbing alcohol (thereby rubbing off the paint on his nose and cheeks.) I remember giving him baby powder &quot;baths&quot; and dressing him in doll clothes. (The indignity!) He was always around, but I never bothered to give him a name. He was just Monchichi.</p>\n\n<p>We left the Dominican Republic and moved to Miami when I was twelve going on thirteen. I must have outgrown him by then, because I don&#39;t remember putting him in the &quot;Toys to Give Away&quot; pile. I was so excited about our new life in the States that I packed my small bags with surprisingly little and never looked back.</p>\n\n<p>It wasn&#39;t until I was in college and my sister came back from a trip to the Dominican Republic that Monchichi and I were finally reunited. She&#39;d stayed with our cousins, and when she saw the cheeky little monkey in my cousin&#39;s room she just had to bring him back for me. My cousin, who by then had outgrown him just like I had so many years before, couldn&#39;t have cared less. We all had a big laugh when he came out of my sister&#39;s suitcase: It was hilarious! Of course he came back to my dorm room with me. And then he was packed up and lived in a box in the basement of every house or apartment building I&#39;ve lived in since college.</p>\n\n<p>My cousin, the one who had inherited him and given him back just to give me a laugh, died of lymphatic cancer three years ago. I didn&#39;t really know my cousin - she was just a little girl when we moved away - and we never kept in touch, but when I learned of her death the first thing I did was look for my Monchichi - our - Monchichi. I dug in the basement until I found him; he&#39;s just a stuffed monkey but he&#39;s also a connection to my past, to her life.</p>\n\n<p>He now lives in my closet, where he greets me every morning as I stare at my clothes, trying to figure out what to wear. He&#39;s not much help in that department I&#39;ll admit, but he&#39;s great at reminding me that I must make the most out of today.</p>\n','My Favorite: Monchichi','\n','publish','open','open','','my-favorite-monchichi','','','2008-04-01 14:27:47','2008-04-01 14:27:47','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=346',0,'post','',5),(347,1,'2008-03-28 12:37:53','2008-03-28 12:37:53','<p>Two incredibly adorable things I&#39;ve come across this week:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://rakkudesigns.com/gallery.asp?curPage=1&amp;idGallery=2&amp;curPhoto=5\">The Shoe Wheel</a></p>\n\n<p>It&#39;s like a hamster wheel, but for shoes...er, it sounds stupid, so just look at it:</p>\n\n<p><img alt=\"Silverwheel_gal\" border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa397a9970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa397a9970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"Silverwheel_gal\" />\n\n\n</p>\n\n<p>It looks gargantuan, but in the end I think it might be practical. I&#39;m just not sure if I need one.</p>\n\n<p><img alt=\"Closet\" border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa397bf970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa397bf970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"Closet\" />\n\n\n</p>\n\n<p>Spinning the shoes might be fun though.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.delight.com/Loose-Change-Clutch\">Latico Loose Change Clutch</a></p>\n\n<p><img alt=\"Latico_clutch376\" border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa397c7970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa397c7970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"Latico_clutch376\" />\n\n\n<br />Now this one might actually solve a problem. Have you noticed how when cashiers hand you your change they place the bills on the palm of your hand and then they pile the change on top? Why is that? Do they think that it makes it more likely that you will dump it in the Tip Jar if it&#39;s inconvenient? </p>\n\n<p>Personally, all it does is slow me down and piss off the customer behind me. What good does that do? But I digress.</p>\n\n<p>This little clutch is cute and it has a little slot on the side so you can drop in your change just like if it was a piggy bank. Or a slot machine. So clever!</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/03/28/change_clutch_open376_3.jpg\"></a><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/03/28/change_clutch_open376_4.jpg\"><img alt=\"Change_clutch_open376_4\" border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa397d8970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa397d8970c-pi.jpg\" style=\"width: 346px; height: 234px;\" title=\"Change_clutch_open376_4\" /></a>\n\n\n\n\n\n&#0160; </p>\n','Clever and pretty is a dangerous combination','\n','publish','open','open','','clever-and-pretty-is-a-dangerous-combination','','','2008-03-28 12:37:53','2008-03-28 12:37:53','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=347',0,'post','',8),(348,1,'2008-03-27 14:08:57','2008-03-27 14:08:57','<p>This morning we went outside (without coats!) and saw that the tulips we planted last October are starting to push their thick green leaves from the ground. It&#39;s officially Spring (HALLE-FRACKING-LUJAH), and my thoughts have finally turned to my closet.</p>\n\n<p>Why is Fall the big fashion season? I don&#39;t know about you, but I go into sartorial hibernation once the ground freezes. Yes, I know that there are beautiful scarves and boots to be worn - but in reality I end up wearing the same boots and coat everyday. With our messy winters, they end up being the practical waterproof ones. I eventually lose interest in what&#39;s underneath because knits are too hot in heated rooms and other materials are too light to wear outside. </p>\n\n<p>(I know I sound like Goldilocks. Shut up.)</p>\n\n<p>Also, the wearing of socks makes me grumpy. I can&#39;t feel stylish in socks.</p>\n\n<p>But now that things are warming up, I&#39;m excited to start shopping again - and the first thing my mind turns to are dresses. Easy, breezy, pretty dresses! I don&#39;t know why so many women refuse to wear dresses - I think that it is much easier to put one on in the morning and slip on some flats or sandals. Two simple steps and you&#39;re dressed for the day.</p>\n\n<p>So yes, I wear dresses when its warm because I&#39;m too lazy to bother matching pants to a shirt. And shorts? I avoid them like the plague. They&#39;re the warm-weather equivalent of socks.</p>\n\n<p>I have two requirements for everyday dresses:</p>\n\n<p>1. They must be machine- or hand- washable. No matter how cheap the dress, I drop it like a hot potato when I see &quot;Dry Clean Only&quot; on the label. (I have small children.) &quot;Hand Washable&quot; is acceptable only because I trust my washing machine with my delicates and it&#39;s never been a problem.</p>\n\n<p>2. They must be easy to wear. If the dress requires specialized undergarments it&#39;s relegated to the &quot;special occasion&quot; pile.</p>\n\n<p>The first place I go to for comfortable casuals is J. Crew and, as usual, they have plenty of options: </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?.mid=embed&amp;id=1111430\"><img border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39941970c\" height=\"400\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39941970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"JCrew Spring\" width=\"400\" /></a>\n\n</p>\n\n<p>(J. Crew - where the pretty never stops.)</p>\n\n<p>I&#39;m definitely getting this beauty from <a href=\"http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&amp;_dynSessConf=5573688711478034030&amp;id=833058&amp;parentid=APP_DRESS_SOLID&amp;pushId=APP_DRESS_SOLID&amp;popId=APP_DRESSES&amp;sortProperties=&amp;navCount=15&amp;navAction=poppush&amp;fromCategoryPage=true&amp;selectedProductSize=&amp;selectedProductSize1=&amp;color=bar\">Anthropologie</a> and I&#39;ll probably wear it with flip flops to keep it from looking matronly:</p>\n\n<p><img alt=\"Anthropologie\" border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39986970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39986970c-pi.gif\" title=\"Anthropologie\" />\n\n\n</p>\n\n<p>It&#39;s as easy to put on as a t shirt or cowl neck sweater, but SO much better, don&#39;t you think?</p>\n\n<p>But other than J. Crew and Anthropologie, it&#39;s been difficult to find machine-washable dresses for everyday wear. This is the best I&#39;ve been able to find so far:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?.mid=embed&amp;id=1111652\"><img border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa3998e970c\" height=\"400\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa3998e970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"Spring dressing\" width=\"400\" /></a>\n\n</p>\n\n<p>They&#39;re OK I guess, but I need something a little more exciting. Retro prints, bright colors, SOMETHING. Can you guys help? Have you found any awesome, machine-washable dresses you can wear to the grocery store? </p>\n','Spring dressing','\n','publish','open','open','','spring-dressing','','','2011-02-07 14:32:02','2011-02-07 14:32:02','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=348',0,'post','',4),(349,1,'2008-03-25 15:55:02','2008-03-25 15:55:02','<p>Whenever I meet a woman that claims to not get along with other women I run the other way. Not out of fear, mind you - the truth is I feel sorry for women like that. There is nothing more pathetic than to say that you hate women when you are guilty of being one yourself.</p>\n\n<p>Women that say this usually declare this proudly, as if it were a badge of honor. Sadly, it&#39;s not even a unique thing to say. Look, we&#39;ve all had to deal with mean girls (don&#39;t I know it!) but you&#39;re not being fair to yourself when you tell anyone that will listen that all women are vicious creatures out to hurt one another in the name of competition.* Because, really, is that all you think of yourself? And your mother?</p>\n\n<p>Men are great; they really are quite the extraordinary creatures. But they are best enjoyed one at a time - and if you&#39;re married you&#39;ve made a promise to do exactly that. On the other hand, as a woman you&#39;re afforded the luxury of enjoying the company of as many strong, gorgeous, powerful, stylish, brilliant women as you can find. There&#39;s no way you can &quot;cheat&quot; on a girl-friend - in fact, I find that it&#39;s best not to become too dependent on one woman for all you friendship needs. </p>\n\n<p>The more the merrier, I say.</p>\n\n<p>But how do you find these women? What if you&#39;re a recovering girl-hater?</p>\n\n<!--more-->\n<p>First, start enjoying the women that surround you already. Every one\nof them has something to teach you - and you should let them know that with\na sincere compliment. Maybe one moves with the grace of a ballerina, or\nis the most brilliant business strategist you\'ve ever met. What about\nthat neighbor who has four seemingly well-adjusted and happy children -\nhow does she do that? Or that girl at the supermarket checkout with the\nimpeccable makeup - where did she learn to do it? What about your\ndrop-dead gorgeous childhood friend - does she know you think she could\nkick Giselle\'s butt in a supermodel showdown?</p>\n\n<p>I\'m liberal when it comes to giving compliments to women. I can\'t\nhelp it - if I admire something about someone, I tell them. It\'s quite\nselfish of me, really - complimenting what I admire in others makes me\nfeel good. Not &quot;I\'ve done a good deed&quot; good, but &quot;lucky me, I\'m\nsurrounded by so much that is awesome&quot; good. And if the receiver of the\ncompliment gets a little lift - well, so much the better. (Sadly, some\ngirls don\'t know how to accept a compliment. They\'ll look at you\nsuspiciously as they try to figure out what you want from them. *Sigh*)<br /> </p>\n\n<p>Then, just put yourself out there. When I was a single woman I\nnever, ever gave my phone number to a man - instead, I made them give\nme their numbers so I could call them back if I was interested. (Single\nladies take note: This is a much better strategy than giving out a fake\nphone number. You can always call them - or not-&nbsp; if you change your\nmind the next day.) However, I give out my phone number and email\naddress freely to women I meet randomly if they have the potential to\nbecome a Best Friend Forever. It\'s like dating; you never know where\nyou\'re going to meet someone who Gets You, and you\'ve got to put\nyourself out there when you do. And, just like dating, most of the time\nI never hear back from them. But when they do, and when we meet again,\nthere\'s always the excitement of meeting someone new - someone who,\nlike you, thinks that you could become the Best of Friends. It makes\nfor a fun afternoon out<br />\n</p>\n\n<p>Surround yourself with awesome women - especially those that you\nthink you are jealous of. The fact that someone is richer or thinner\nthan you doesn\'t stop you from achieving those things yourself - in\nfact, being around people who have the qualities you strive for,\nwhatever those may be, makes it more likely that you will achieve them\nyourself. Likewise, surround yourself with selfish, bitter, needy\nwitches - and you\'ve set yourself up for a miserable existence.</p>\n','How to enjoy women','\n','publish','open','open','','how-to-enjoy-women','','','2008-03-25 15:55:02','2008-03-25 15:55:02','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=349',0,'post','',8),(350,1,'2008-03-21 08:32:00','2008-03-21 08:32:00','<p>I think I have a crush on this blogger. Stalk her, she speaks wisely: <a href=\"http://easyandelegantlife.com/2008/01/17/an-indecent-suggestion/\">Easy and Elegant Life</a> </p>\n\n<p>So sweet! Instant Happy! <a href=\"http://www.mamalogues.com/2008/03/the_best_kind_of_sunday.html\">Mamalogues</a> </p>\n\n<p>Where does all the time go?&#0160; <a href=\"http://kerflop.com/2008/03/17/maybe-this-will-even-stick/#more-1522\">Kerflop</a> has the answer. Thanks for the kick in the pants! </p>\n\n<p>Wait? So my kids will be teenagers someday? Yikes. Check these ladies out to get a glimpse into the future:<br /> </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://mid-centurymodernmoms.com\" target=\"_blank\"><img alt=\"Photobucket\" border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39792970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39792970c-pi.jpg\" /></a></p>\n','Linky Love: March 21','\n','publish','open','open','','linky-love-march-21','','','2008-03-21 08:32:00','2008-03-21 08:32:00','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=350',0,'post','',0),(351,1,'2008-03-19 13:05:08','2008-03-19 13:05:08','<p>I&#39;m overwhelmed by the task of decorating our house: I want\nit to be a comfortable place to entertain, a happy home for our\nchildren to grow up in, a beautiful place to live our lives. Of course,\nthose high expectations have done nothing but paralyze me. That&#39;s my excuse for why my living room has looked like this for the better part of a year:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2258790870/\" title=\"Living Room by R. S. M., on Flickr\"><img alt=\"Living Room\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39cef970c\" height=\"375\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39cef970c-pi.jpg\" width=\"500\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>It doesn&#39;t help that I have a love-hate relationship with shopping and the general buying of stuff. I hate the actual &quot;going&quot; part of shopping (wandering aimlessly in a mall - OMG KILL ME NOW!), but when I do need to buy something I absolutely DESPISE spending my hard-earned money on junk.&#0160; I&#0160; like to surround myself with pretty things and will pay for quality - mostly so that I won&#39;t have to go shopping to replace things anytime soon.</p>\n\n<p>What to do?</p>\n\n<p>Well, one way I get around that is to look at catalogs. They&#39;re convenient, portable and are filled with pretty pictures. Add to that the fact that we moved into a house that&#39;s approximately three times as big as our old apartment, and that equals the very real possibility that I would eventually end up buying something from Pottery Barn. And if you live anywhere in the United States, you already get 3\ncopies of the same Pottery Barn catalog at least twice a month, so why\nnot flip through them before recycling them? </p>\n\n<p>(That&#39;s how they get us! We&#39;re powerless against Pottery Barn and their relentless catalogs!)</p>\n\n<p>We moved into this house last May, and at the time I was still filled with enthusiasm for the whole decorating process. My first task was to buy a kitchen table and four chairs. Easy enough, right? I needed a place where the four of us could eat breakfast, that would fold out of the way when we needed the space, and that was easy to wipe down when the kids spilled their milk. (Which happens EVERY DAMN time we sit at the table.)</p>\n\n<p>I was thrilled when I saw <a href=\"http://www.potterybarn.com/products/p6101/index.cfm?clg=69&amp;bnrid=3380801&amp;cm_ven=FRU&amp;cm_cat=Shopping&amp;cm_pla=Datafeed&amp;cm_ite=All%20Products&amp;flash=on&amp;cm_ref=http%3A//www.google.com/search%3Fq%3Dshayne+table%26sourceid%3Dnavclient-ff%26ie%3DUTF-8%26rlz%3D1B3GGGL_enUS234US234\">this table</a> in the Pottery Barn catalog:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/03/19/img30l.jpg\"><img alt=\"Img30l\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39d01970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39d01970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"Img30l\" /></a> </p>\n\n<p><em>(Photo from potterybarn.com)</em></p>\n\n<p>A simple,cute-enough table that folds:</p>\n\n<!--more-->\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/03/19/img55l.jpg\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/03/19/img55l.jpg\" title=\"Img55l\" alt=\"Img55l\" class=\"image-full\" /></a>\n\n\n</p>\n\n<p><em>(Photo from potterybarn.com)</em></p>\n\n<p>I thought it was perfect - all I had to do was replace the chairs with something easier to clean* and we would be in business. Or so I thought.</p>\n\n<p>We ordered the table in July. We did not receive it until the 30th of OCTOBER. There were many hours in between spent on the phone with Pottery Barn\ncustomer service reps - hours spent asking where our furniture was\n(typical answer: We don\'t know!), precious, after-dinner hours that are gone forever. Then, one day the table was here.\n</p>\n\n<p>HOORAY! JOY! Time for breakfast!</p>\n\n<p>After one week of typical use (you know, actually using the table to eat - crazy stuff!) this is what the table looked like:</p>\n\n<p><a title=\"Stupid Pottery Barn by R. S. M., on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/2345080945/\"><img width=\"375\" height=\"500\" alt=\"Stupid Pottery Barn\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/2345080945_c50a503e24.jpg\" /></a>\n\n</p>\n\n<p>And that, my friends, is why I will never buy wood furniture at Pottery Barn. Never again!</p>\n\n<p><em>*(We settled on <a href=\"http://www.potterybarn.com/products/p229/index.cfm?pkey=cfurdinchr\">these</a> chairs because when we ordered <a href=\"http://www.potterybarn.com/products/p8510/index.cfm?pkey=cfurdinchr\">these</a> they arrived in in boxes that said MADE\nIN CHINA. We had purchased chairs that were advertised as Italian-made. When I called for an explanation I was brazenly told that in the four months it took to get the chairs delivered they had moved production to China, because Italy is too expensive. I had two questions for them:</em></p>\n\n<p><em>1) Why didn\'t they tell me that that was the reason for the delay? And, </em></p>\n\n<p><em>2) Where is my check for the cost savings? </em></p>\n\n<p><em>Do you want to know what the rep said? </em></p>\n\n<p><em>&quot;What do you </em><em>expect when you spend so little on chairs?&quot;</em></p>\n\n<p><em>Eeexcuse me? Since when was $269 (plus shipping!) a piece something to laugh at? I complained and got a $200 refund. But still, the whole thing is just wrong.)</em></p>\n\n<p><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">(PS- The schoolhouse chairs are fine. We like them very much. And they were made in Italy.)</span><br />\n\n</p>\n','The one where I break up with Pottery Barn','\n','publish','open','open','','the-one-where-i-break-up-with-pottery-barn','','','2008-03-19 13:05:08','2008-03-19 13:05:08','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=351',0,'post','',18),(352,1,'2008-03-18 10:31:26','2008-03-18 10:31:26','<p>Sometime last week I informed my husband that he would be on lone daddy duty on Sunday because I&#39;d made plans to have coffee with a friend that was visiting from LA.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>&quot;Sure!&quot; He said - no questions asked. It wasn&#39;t until Saturday afternoon that he finally asked me who my friend was. </p>\n\n<p>&quot;It&#39;s Sarah.&quot;</p>\n\n<p>&quot;Sarah? Did you go to school together? I don&#39;t remember you ever mentioning a Sarah from LA.&quot;</p>\n\n<p>&quot;That&#39;s because we didn&#39;t go to school together.&quot;</p>\n\n<p>&quot;Then how do you know each other?&quot;</p>\n\n<p>&quot;We&#39;ve been reading each other since...huh, I don&#39;t really remember! It&#39;s been at least since she before she got pregnant ...&quot;</p>\n\n<p>&quot;Hoooold on...OK. So - let me get this straight...you&#39;re going to meet up with a woman you call a &#39;friend&#39; because you read her on the INTERNET?&quot;</p>\n\n<p>&quot;I guess so. Yes.&quot;</p>\n\n<p>*Sigh*</p>\n\n<p>He was silent for a minute. I guess I had rendered him speechless with my nerditude. (And you know what? I don&#39;t blame him - it does sound crazy - I know it!)</p>\n\n<p>&quot;Tell me one thing - how do you know she&#39;s not insane? Or a stalker? Or a man pretending to be a mom?&quot;</p>\n\n<p>&quot;Oh, she&#39;s not an insane-stalker-man!&quot;</p>\n\n<p>&quot;How do you know?&quot;</p>\n\n<p>&quot;I just know! It&#39;s<a href=\"http://whoorl.com/about\"> Whoorl</a>!&quot;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>The only thing I could think to do to make my case for &quot;just knowing&quot; that I wasn&#39;t meeting up with a random internet psycho was to show him her site. He clicked around until he found a picture. <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/whoorl/550667793/in/set-72157600341129199/\">This one</a>, to be exact. And then he had one thing to say:</p>\n\n<p> &quot;Can I come too?&quot;</p>\n\n<p>(Answer: HELL NO! I missed out on shopping for beauty products with <a href=\"http://www.metalia.blogspot.com/\">Metalia</a> because he was out of town on Tuesday so the kids were ALL HIS on Sunday. Fair is fair, bud!).\n\n</p>\n\n<p>ANYWAYS, off I went to meet up with a total stranger who wasn&#39;t a stranger at all. And despite the fact that I knew she would be lovely (and she was!) I was still amazed that a Boston-girl-by-way-of-Miami could meet a California-girl-by-way-of-Oklahoma for the very first time and instantly have the type of girl talk that good friends catching up on old times have. If that&#39;s not awesome, I don&#39;t know what is.</p>\n\n<p>(What do bloggers meeting for the first time talk about? Boys, handbags, hair (hello!), work, kids...the same things girlfriends all over the world talk about over coffee.)</p>\n\n<p>Now I have a GREAT excuse to go to the west coast - and for that, I have the internet to thank. </p>\n\n<p>(Thanks, Al Gore! I owe you one!)</p>\n','I See Famous People ... Just kidding! Sort of.','\n','publish','open','open','','i-see-famous-people-just-kidding-sort-of','','','2008-03-18 10:31:26','2008-03-18 10:31:26','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=352',0,'post','',7),(353,1,'2008-03-12 12:14:15','2008-03-12 12:14:15','<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/03/12/madmen1.jpg\"><img alt=\"Madmen1\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39d70970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39d70970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"Madmen1\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>I know that the show is already a HUGE hit, and that what I&#39;m watching is an encore of the first season - basically microwaved leftovers - but I&#39;m so glad I finally found this show! I love everything about it: The story lines, the flawed characters, the suspense, the cheating and melodrama.</p>\n\n<p>It will come as no surprise that I also just like the way the show looks (talk about some serious glamour!):</p>\n\n<p>&#0160;</p>\n\n<p><img alt=\"01_ep106__mg_6567\" border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39d7e970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39d7e970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"01_ep106__mg_6567\" /><br /></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/03/12/13_roger_peggy_don_joan_pete_3.jpg\"><img alt=\"13_roger_peggy_don_joan_pete_3\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39d8f970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39d8f970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"13_roger_peggy_don_joan_pete_3\" /></a>\n\n\n</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/03/12/ep105_01_madmenep105_mg_2860.jpg\"><img alt=\"Ep105_01_madmenep105_mg_2860\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39d9e970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39d9e970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"Ep105_01_madmenep105_mg_2860\" /></a></p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/03/12/ep10201_madmen102b_0861.jpg\"><img alt=\"Ep10201_madmen102b_0861\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39db7970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39db7970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"Ep10201_madmen102b_0861\" /></a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/03/12/ep109_main_image_mg_5255_2.jpg\"><img alt=\"Ep109_main_image_mg_5255_2\" border=\"0\" class=\"image-full at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39dd0970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39dd0970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"Ep109_main_image_mg_5255_2\" /></a></p>\n\n<br /><p><img alt=\"Madmen2\" border=\"0\" class=\"at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39de1970c\" src=\"http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39de1970c-pi.jpg\" title=\"Madmen2\" /></p>\n\n<p>I also thank my lucky stars that I&#39;m a married woman living in 2008 and not in 1960. The End.<br />\n\n\n</p>\n','Oh Mad Men! I think I love you!','\n','publish','open','open','','oh-mad-men-i-think-i-love-you','','','2008-03-12 12:14:15','2008-03-12 12:14:15','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=353',0,'post','',3),(354,1,'2008-03-04 07:39:00','2008-03-04 07:39:00','<p>This month&#39;s Vogue has a little blurb on a salon in NYC that offers a &quot;Beauty Addict&quot; program where for a yearly fee of $15,000 - yes! $15K! - you get unlimited blowouts and manicures/pedicures. As a special treat, you get one at-home visit a month. </p>\n\n<p>I worked in prestige beauty marketing long enough to know that this is most likely a publicity stunt, but still... Who spends $15,000 a year to have somebody else blow dry their hair? </p>\n\n<p>Knowing this level of beauty maintenance even exists makes me feel exceedingly frumpy and in need of a manicure. At $12 a pop I&#39;d need to go to the salon 1,250 times to make it worthwhile. Every manicure takes about one hour (including drying time) so that means that I would spend about 52 days in a nail salon, inhaling toluene fumes while flipping through last year&#39;s copy of Allure. I don&#39;t have that kind of time!</p>\n','$15,000 beauty','\n','publish','open','open','','15000-beauty','','','2008-03-04 07:39:00','2008-03-04 07:39:00','',0,'http://everydaytreats.frogandsnail.com/?p=354',0,'post','',3),