Mama is giving away free books
Mama loves to read. The local bookstore is my personal treasure chest. Once I go in, its hard to get me to come back out.
One of the books I’m currently reading is “Smart Mama’s Green Guide” by Jennifer Taggert. It is a cute little book that gives you tips on how to reduce your child’s exposure to toxins. This book is packed with practical tips on eliminating or reducing the hidden dangers of toxic chemicals that lurk everywhere (yep, we are surrounded by harmful toxins).
Want a copy? Fill out a short entry form and at the end of the month, I”ll pick 5 winners. And since I care so much about the environment, I’ll also send each winner one of my Reusable Tote Bags.
- Mama
The Necessary Art of De-friending
“I friended them on Facebook.”
S — is a good friend of mine. We are talking about a person I’m casually dating, and as soon as the words are out of my mouth, S — says…
“They’re on your FB page? Lemme see!” And I hear furious clicking and then…
“Oh! This is them?” A sharp intake of breath, more clicking and then, “We have mutual friends!”
Then I hear the high-pitched notes of my worlds colliding and S – calling his mother to the computer so that she can see the person I’m dating too. Her comment is short, “Nice lookin’.”
With all of the social networking going on, not only do I struggle to keep my worlds separate. I find it necessary to ‘remove’ friends that well… really aren’t, and aren’t necessary to my network. Sometimes I send them a note and say, “Hey I’m dialing the social networking down a notch, this is just going to be a family thing.” Other times, I just press ‘remove’.
About the addition of the casual dater S—says, “What’s going to happen when you have to de-friend them? I de-friended this guy because he ticked me off and then when I saw him a couple of weeks later I realized he wasn’t so bad and that I wanted to stay connected to him.”
“That’s awkward,” I replied. “To have to friend them again, they’d have to confirm you, and then they’d know they were ‘removed’, I wouldn’t want to do that.”
Before you friend someone ask yourself, do you want them privy to family photos? Your political rants? Do you want future employers to see that popular and annoying list of 25 questions that you answered and posted in your ‘notes’ section? Is this person really a friend?
Use the social networking sites wisely, set your parameters, here is a great website that shows you how to do it on Facebook. And just some advice from your Aunt B, every so often, de-friend.
- Aunt B
Mama sponsors Maddie
Mama has a sweet spot for animals. Every so often, I donate towels, pet food, and doggie treats to one of the local animal shelters.
A few weeks ago, I heard about Maddie’s story and was immediately drawn to her. Maddie was rescued by the Glendale Humane Society. Poor Maddie was left alone to raise her 7 puppies in the back yard. She deserves a chance in a loving home, where she can be part of the family. Maddie is three years old and fifteen pounds.
If you love animals but do not have the time or space to care for one, consider sponsoring one. Or, when you do your spring cleaning, donate your old towels and sheets to an animal shelter. Your towels may seem old and dingy to you, but to homeless dogs and cats, they are like cashmere sweaters.
- Mama
Walkability
Have you ever been motivated by pure laziness? I have. Yes, I know it sounds like an oxymoron. I’m lazy about taking my car out of the garage (one has to pay for a permit to park on the street where I live). So, instead of lifting the door, pulling the car out every time I wanted to run an errand, I put my feet to the concrete and started walking.
No one walked where I grew up. My neighborhood was a constant cautionary tale. When you walked, you did it with a look and pace that said that you were simultaneously bored, angry and in a hurry (Check out any model on the catwalk for a visual). Where I lived, strolling was for folks looking for trouble.
A move to a suburb of Los Angeles changed all of that, as did the recession and a growing awareness about the environment. The Tween-let and I live next to a freeway that’s a vein between downtown and the ‘burbs. The constant course of vehicles makes me hyper aware of the noise and air pollution and so whenever we can, we walk. Oh! The screams of protest from the Tween-let when we first embarked on this lifestyle change.
We didn’t begin all at once. We began by walking to school, and began to include other errands on the way to and from. Here’s how you can do it. Make a list of the businesses that you use most, such as the bank, the drugstore, you get the picture, then assess the walkability of where you live by using Walkscore, a website that helps you determine the walkability of your neighborhood and locates the businesses you use most that are in a one-mile-radius of where you live.
Feet to the concrete people!
- Aunt B
Freedom gardens…have you planted one yet?
Freedom gardens are the modern day Victory Gardens.
During World War I and World War II, the United States government asked its citizens to plant gardens in order to support the war effort. Millions of people planted gardens. In 1943, Americans planted over 20 million Victory Gardens, and the harvest accounted for nearly a third of all the vegetables consumed in the country that year. Emphasis was placed on making gardening a family or community effort — not a drudgery, but a pastime, and a national duty.
Our current President Mr. Barack Obama has yet to ask us to plant Gardens but I think the time has come for us to grow our own food. Today our food travels an average of 1500 miles from farm to table. The process of planting, fertilizing, processing, packaging, and transporting our food uses a great deal of energy and contributes to the cause of global warming.
But..but..but…
Mama won’t accept any excuses. Don’t have a green thumb? Join an online community of new gardeners. If you don’t have a backyard, grow something in a container. Peppers, cilantro, and mint will grow well in a container. It’ll taste better too. If you don’t have time to water your garden, have your children to it. If you don’t have children, ask a neighbor if their children will do it (and tell them you’ll share the bounty).
Plant a garden today. Your body will thank you tomorrow.
Already have a Freedom Garden? Send us a picture! We might even send you a prize.
- Mama
Will you be my friend?
Yes. I will be your new friend. Forever and ever. Best Buddies for life.
Do you remember when it was that simple to make a new friend? I do, but it was many blue moons ago. It is amazing. When you are in kindergarten, elementary school, junior high school. It is that easy to make friends. Once you get into high school, it gets a little difficult but nothing prepares you for the arduous and somewhat difficult task of making friends in your 30s, 40s and beyond.
A few years ago, I decided to make some new friends. I have a few good friends but wanted to meet some more. I craved to develop a local community and the types of friendships that Miranda, Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha have. (The search for Stardom and the “Car Culture” makes it difficult to make adult friends in Los Angeles.)
So I created a Social Group just for women. Not that we don’t like men. But this was created so girls could just be girls without the added pressure of impressing men. (You’d be surprised the types of things that women say and do when men aren’t around. We really know how to let our hair down and have fun. And despite what you see on “The Real Housewives”, we actually don’t fight a lot and we don’t spend too much time saying bad things about each other).
This group has become one of my safe havens. After a brief 2 years, there are almost 500 women in my social group. We meet for happy hours (I love my martinis), game nights, live music, shopping, eating, movie watching, book exchanging, art walks, and much more.
Feeling a little lonely? Rest assured, you are not alone. There are plenty of other people who crave new friendships too. Look for a group near you on Meetup.com or start your own. Meetup.com has a group for everyone. There groups for people who like to play board games, read books, play video games, drink coffee, drink alcohol, dance, yoga, cook, star gaze…groups, groups, and more groups.
Go ahead, join a group and let me know which group you joined.
- Mama
The 3 H’s of Life
Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional—M. Kathleen Casey
It was my big moment. I was a young poet and was chosen to read at this well-known club in LA for a new artists’ record release party.
“Hi is this B—?”
“Yes.”
“Listen I’ve heard your work and would like for you to read at a record release party for M–, are you available? We need another poet besides you, a guy. Can you help us find someone?”
I was ecstatic. I called a guy I knew and we went and did the show.
What I know now is that there are 3 H’s to life. Humiliation, heartbreak and hardship, what I didn’t know was that this was my inauguration into one of them.
We read, the artist did their thing and just as soon as it began it was over. I left the stage with my male counterpart and started to make the rounds. This is where the humiliation began.
To the person I brought with me, “You were great! I mean you were fantastic! I loved your work!” Then their eyes fell on me, “Uh… you were good too,” and then a perfunctory pat on the shoulder. That scenario repeated itself over and over again, all night long. By the time we left, the person I brought with me had an offer to play a part in a major motion picture and a record deal. I had the same lint I brought in the bottom of my pockets.
I didn’t read in public for almost a year after that night. My already fragile artist ego was bruised. This became one of the many H’s I would collect. At the time I had no idea that life had plenty more to deal out.
How do you cope when life hands you humiliation, heartbreak or a hardship? I spent a great deal of time eating and shopping. What got me into that situation eventually got me out… writing, journaling.
What do you do when life hands you an H’?
- Aunt B
Just paint it white
Have you recently played “Campfire” because you didn’t have enough money to pay your electricity bill? Are you trying to find a way to save money and cut back on your electricity bill?
Times are tough folks but we are all in this together and with a little creativity we’ll all get through this.
If you own a home with a flat roof, a simple way to lower your energy costs is to paint your roof white. I know, sounds a little weird, but if you drive through desert towns like Palm Springs or Death Valley, most of the people brave enough to live there have white or cream colored homes. Even the commercial buildings are shades of white and cream.
White will keep buildings cooler and reduce energy use from air conditioning, as well as reflecting sunlight back away from the Earth.
If you think white is a little hard on the eye (I personally like a little color), use a “cool color”. A cool color looks like a normal color but it reflects heat like pale colors even if it is a darker shade.
Sure, there are a few costs involved. You have to buy the paint and spend time painting it, but just think how much you will save on your electricity bill. Go ahead, do it. I DOUBLE DARE YOU. And while you are at it, follow me on facebook so I can plant a tree on your behalf.
- Mama
